The European Union has approved a €75 million ($87.7 million) funding package for the military component of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, ending months of uncertainty and negotiations.

In a statement dated April 21, 2026, the EU said the funding for the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (Aussom) will mainly cover troop allowances, as well as non-lethal equipment and related services.

The support, drawn from the European Peace Facility (EPF), ends Brussels’ two-year break from peace support funding in Somalia, offering relief to the cash-strapped AU mission, which has struggled to secure adequate and predictable financing since its mandate began in January 2025.

Aussom has operated with a recurring budget deficit. It has secured $48.6 million in pledges, including $22 million from the United Kingdom and $20 million from the AU Peace Fund, alongside contributions from China, Japan, South Korea, Spain and Italy.

The mission, with 11,146 military personnel from Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, and Burundian troops substituting for yet-to-deploy Egyptian forces, is also burdened by arrears of more than $90 million inherited from its predecessor.

An EU spokesperson told The EastAfrican the funding will “address the most urgent needs of the military component of Aussom, including through the provision of equipment, services, and contributions to contingent allowances.”The mission’s 680 police personnel and 85 civilian staff are not covered under the EU package. Historically, EU funding has supported troop allowances, civilian salaries and headquarters operations for AU missions in Somalia since 2007.

The latest package brings total EU support to AU-led missions in Somalia to nearly €2.8 billion, ($3.27 billion), the statement said.

The EPF, established in March 2021, finances actions under the EU’s common foreign and security policy aimed at conflict prevention, peacebuilding and international security.

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