UN Greenlights New AU Force to Tackle Somalia’s Security Challenges

An additional step in handing over national security duties to Somalia’s own forces was taken when the Security Council approved the African Union Peace and Security Council’s decision to replace the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) with the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM). 

By a vote of 14 in favor, 0 against and 1 abstention (United States), the Council adopted resolution 2767 (2024) (to be published as document S/RES/2767(2024)). This gave the African Union members the authority to take any necessary actions for a period of 12 months beginning on January 1st 2025 including aiding the Federal Government of Somalia in dismantling Al-Shabaab and affiliates associated with Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) also known as Da’esh.

The Council also praised Somalia’s efforts to take on increasingly more responsibility for its national security, particularly the fact that since 2022, the Somali security forces have replaced the 7,000 drawn down ATMIS soldiers. Up to 12,626 uniformed people including 1,040 police officers may be deployed to AUSSOM by African Union member states until June 30th 2025. By then, all African Union troops from ATMIS must be realigned to AUSSOM. A section on funding AUSSOM is included in the text along with references to Council resolution 2719 (2023) which creates a mechanism for using UN assessed contributions to fund African Union peace support missions.

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The Council asked the Secretary General to implement the “hybrid” implementation of the 2719 framework to AUSSOM starting on July 1st 2025 combining UN assessed contributions with funds raised by the African Union and other partners, within the constraints of the resources already made available by the rightsizing of the UN Support Office in Somalia. The Council must confirm by May 15, 2025, that adequate progress has been made in operationalizing the procedures of resolution 2719 (2023) before this application can be submitted.