Somalia peacekeeping mission at risk as US blocks UN support

The United States has said it will prevent the United Nations supporting an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia from the start of next year, two

documents showed, in a move that officials said is likely to end its operations.



The nearly 12,000-strong AU mission props up the fragile government in Mogadishu, helping it push back al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militants, whose previous offensives have brought them within striking distance of the capital and who control large swaths of the countryside in southern and central Somalia.

However, the mission, known as the AU Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), relies heavily on U.N. support for essential logistics such as food, water, fuel, medical services and transportation of troops.



Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. government has grown increasingly frustrated with the administration in Mogadishu, which is riven by political infighting and has failed to defeat the insurgents despite years of international support.