NAIROBI: The African Union called an emergency meeting on its military mission in Somalia after Washington announced it would end critical funding over the lack of progress against violent extremists. Somalia has been battling the Al-Shabab insurgency for around two decades, but the group still controls vast swaths of the country. The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, AUSSOM, is the leading force supporting the Somali army, providing roughly 12,000 troops.

Its withdrawal would require the African Union and troop-contributing countries to secure alternative funding and support arrangements if the mission continues beyond 2026.

Washington said its decision was due the government’s lack of progress in containing the al-Shabaab group or in taking ownership of its own security.