US Senator Risch calls on the EU to work with President Trump to find ‘real funding solution’ for AU Peace Operations in Somalia » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 12 — US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Senator Jim Risch, has expressed strong opposition to the use of United Nations (UN) assessed contributions to fund the African Union (AU) Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
The mission, which succeeded the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), is part of a broader security campaign to combat the Al-Qaeda linked Somalia based jihadist group Al-Shabaab.
Senator Risch maintained that hat the UN Security Council Resolution 2719 (2023), which established a framework for the UN to contribute funding to African-led peace support operations should mot be used in the mission.
While the resolution allows African Union-led peace operations to access up to 75 per cent of their annual budgets from UN funds, Risch argued that this would result in the US being locked into perpetual funding obligations, ultimately at the expense of American taxpayers.
“The U.S. has spent too much for too little progress against al-Shabaab in Somalia,” said Risch.
“The UN Security Council Resolution 2719 should not be used to fund the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia. Doing so would lock the U.S. into perpetual funding through its dues to the UN, which is a disservice to the American taxpayer.”
He was responding to the calls by the European Union for a ‘fair’ shared funding model in the new peace mission which commenced operations in January in line with UNSC Resolution 2767.
Real funding solution
Instead, Senator Risch called for a more sustainable and collaborative approach to funding, urging the European Union (EU) to work with the U.S.
administration to create a sustainable funding solution.
“The EU needs to work with President Trump on a real funding solution,” he stated.
He also stressed the need for the African Union and the UN to focus on implementing the required reforms outlined in Resolution 2719 for any future peace support mission.
The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2719 in December 2023, emphasizing that African Union-led peace support operations authorized by the Security Council must comply with UN financial regulations, oversight standards, and accountability mechanisms.
Explore all funding options
Under the terms of the resolution, the African Union and the United Nations from the international community will be responsible for jointly mobilizing extra-budgetary resources to cover the remaining 25% of peace support operation budgets.
Further the resolution provides that the support extended to African Union-led peace support operations will include costs and reimbursement of all categories of support as negotiated between the troop-police contributing country, the African Union and the United Nations.
On October last year, Kenya’s President William Ruto and his Somalia counterpart Hassan Mohamud called on the international community to “explore all funding options, including UN Resolution 2719” to support AUSSOM.
“They[Ruto amd Mohamud] stressed that AUSSOM must be adequately resourced and noted the importance of exploring all funding
options, including UN Resolution 2719,”
read a joint comminique when Mohamud visited Kenya on October 22.