The UN Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution to authorize the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) from Jan. 1, 2025. In the resolution, approved by 14 of the council's 15 member states, with the United States' abstention, the Security Council said that it endorsed the African Union Peace and Security Council's decision to replace the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) with AUSSOM. This move marks a further step in transitioning national security responsibilities to Somalia's own forces, the council said. The council authorized African Union (AU) members to take all necessary measures for 12 months, starting Jan. 1, 2025, including supporting the Somali government in degrading Al-Shabaab and affiliates linked to Islamic State. According to the resolution, AU member states were also authorized to continue to deploy up to 12,626 uniformed personnel, including 1,040 police personnel, to AUSSOM until June 30, 2025, and to complete by this date the realignment of all AU troops from ATMIS to AUSSOM.
