Withdrawing from the AU peace mission in Somalia could have significant consequences for Burundi.
Listen to this article 7 min Listen to this article 7 min The United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) decided in December 2024 to replace the current AU Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis) with a smaller force - the AU Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (Aussom).
Since then, discussions have focused mainly on Egypt and Ethiopia's contributions to Aussom. Their possible deployments intersect with geopolitical tensions in the Horn of Africa - including over access to water and the Red Sea. In contrast, relatively little has been said about Burundi's potential withdrawal of its soldiers from Somalia over a dispute about troop numbers.
Burundi had suggested contributing 3,000 of Aussom's 12,626 soldiers, but then said it would not participate after Somalia indicated it would accept only 1,000. A letter from Somalia's defence minister to his Burundian counterpart confirmed the possible Burundian exit, citing a lack of consensus on troop numbers.
Senior Burundian officials said the allocated number was insufficient and would leave soldiers fighting al-Shabaab exposed. Despite these concerns, Burundian participation is reportedly still unclear as discussions continue.
Burundi's non-participation would be significant for Aussom. The country - one of the largest contributors to AU...