Uganda to Host Kampala Summit on Somalia Peacekeeping and Funding Gaps

Military leaders, defense ministers, and heads of state are converging in Kampala, Uganda, for a high-stakes extraordinary summit focused on the future of peacekeeping in Somalia. The three-day gathering, running from July 29 to 31, 2026, at Speke Resort Munyonyo, brings together the nations supplying personnel to the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia, as reported by the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs and the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces.

Proceedings open with a meeting of Chiefs of Defence Forces from Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, and host nation Somalia. Defense ministers gather on Thursday, leading to the high-level meeting of Heads of State and Government on Friday. Senior United Nations officials and African Union representatives are also in attendance to address the mounting structural and financial pressures facing the mission.

Funding Shortfalls and the Impending US Logistical Withdrawal

The summit unfolds against a backdrop of severe financial strain and shifting donor commitments. For nearly two decades, foreign partners have bankrolled peace operations in Somalia, with the European Union contributing about €2.8 billion ($3.19 billion), the United States providing roughly $1.6 billion in bilateral support, and another $2 billion channeled through the United Nations Support Office in Somalia.

Financial pressures intensified sharply when the United States informed the African Union that it would end remaining UNSOS logistical support after December 31, 2026. Minutes from an emergency meeting of military advisers to the AU Peace and Security Council noted that the latest US decision would end the remaining UNSOS logistical support after 31 December 2026, leaving Aussom under serious logistical constraints.

For the 2025/26 financial year, the mission operated with a budget of about $190 million dedicated strictly to troop reimbursements, yet the African Union secured only $120 million in confirmed pledges.

Weighing the Endgame for African Union Troops in Somalia

With external funding streams dwindling, member states are openly questioning how long continental forces can remain deployed. Cameroon and Gabon warned during recent military adviser discussions that every peace support operation eventually reaches a conclusion, urging Mogadishu to accelerate preparations for self-sustaining security institutions.

Uganda, which has maintained forces in the Horn of African nation since the inception of the mission in 2007, has likewise signaled fatigue. Officials in Kampala noted that we can’t keep in Somalia forever. Defence attachés evaluating the future examined three options: a phased withdrawal of AU troops, maintaining current deployments with bilateral partners absorbing logistics, or replacing the force with a smaller regional mission. Because alternative funding has failed to materialize, a managed withdrawal has emerged as the most realistic scenario among member states.

Political Tensions and Domestic Pushback Ahead of the Summit

The security talks in Kampala also intersect with domestic political disputes in Somalia. Ahead of the gathering, the Somali Future Council issued an open letter calling on troop-contributing countries to condition their security engagement on the establishment of an unelected transitional council to replace existing federal institutions.

Commentators have criticized the proposal as an attempt to outsource domestic political competition. Somalia officially ended its transitional era in 2012, establishing recognized federal institutions, a parliament, courts, and national security forces. Critics warn that conditioning foreign security partnerships on partisan political demands would only create opportunities for Al-Shabaab and Da’esh to exploit political divisions.

“Somalia’s hard-won state-building gains should not be sacrificed in the pursuit of short-term political advantage. Yet that is precisely the risk posed by the Somali Future Council’s latest proposal.”

Ali Omar Mohamed, via Dawan Africa

As heads of state gather at Speke Resort Munyonyo under the official theme To Sustain the Stabilisation Process in Somalia, Uganda reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to regional peace and security, working alongside the United Nations, IGAD, and international partners to navigate the mission’s financial and operational crossroads.