The African Union Mission to Somalia’s (AMISOM) time is drawing to a close. It’s scheduled to end in December 2021, after the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) extended the 28 February exit deadline. But instead of making preparations to leave, the growing political and security problems in Somalia have seen the focus shift to what AMISOM’s continued role in the country should be.
A successful withdrawal in December depends on political stability in Somalia, but can and should AMISOM play a role in this area? And whatever its mandate may be, the perennial problem of how to fund an extended mission remains unresolved.