AUSSOM is a successor mission to ATMIS, endorsed by the AU PSC on 1 August 2024 and mandated by the United Nations Security Council on 27 December 2024 under Resolution 2767, with an initial 12 months mandate. AUSSOM is the outcome of an extensive collaborative effort involving the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), the African Union, the United Nations (UN) and international partners. The process resulted in aligned positions as enshrined in the CONOPs and the Joint Proposal. AUSSOM will consolidate the peace and security gains made by ATMIS since 1 April 2022, support the implementation of the SSDP and NSA to enable Somali security forces to take full security responsibilities by 2029.
In June 2024, officials from the African Union, the FGS and international partners adopted key documents – the revised CONOPs and the Joint Proposal – providing a roadmap for the establishment of AUSSOM, ending negotiations that spanned over a year.
The adoption of key documents containing details on the mandate, design and financing of the new mission marked the conclusion of discussions between the Technical Teams from AU, FGS and international stakeholders to agree on a framework for the new mission which will eventually hand over security responsibilities to the Somali security forces.
On 24 September 2024, General Cheick Dembele, the Head of AU Peace Support Operations Division (AUPSOD), and Graham Maitland, the Eastern Africa Division Director at the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Operations, led a joint AU-UN delegation on a week-long visit to Somalia. They held high-level engagements with government officials, civil society representatives and Somalia’s international partners to discuss the structure, design and financing for AUSSOM.
The Africa Union Peace and Security Council first authorised the deployment of AU troops to Somalia in 2007. This was mandated by the UN Security Council and since then, AU troops have had subsequent mandate renewals. The immediate past mandate ended on 31 December 2024.