UN Puts Somalia Mission Assets Up For Sale As US Funding Cutoff Looms

Mogadishu, Somalia — The United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) has opened a tender seeking licensed auctioneers to sell off a wide range of its vehicles, generators and other equipment in Somalia, a notice published on the UN Global Marketplace shows.

The call for expressions of interest, issued August 6, comes as Washington moves to cut off funding for the UN’s logistical support mission by the end of 2026, deepening uncertainty over the future of international backing for Somalia’s fight against al-Shabab.

The tender matters now because it lands at the center of a widening rift between the United States and the United Nations over how and whether, to keep supporting Somalia’s security transition. UNSOS underpins the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), supplying transport, fuel, food and other non-lethal supplies to roughly 12,000 African troops and police fighting a resilient insurgency. Any wind-down of that support network would strike at the core of the mission’s ability to operate.

Under the terms of the tender, UNSOS is looking to establish a local contract for the “commercial sale” of UN-owned property. The initial deal would run three months, with up to three additional three-month extensions depending on performance and operational need.