Publication

This paper examines the origins and effectiveness of the UN Support Office for the African Union in Somalia (UNSOA), which provides direct support to the AU mission in the country. The text’s author specifically focuses on the problems that have constrained UNSOA’s effectiveness, including 1) its growing mandate; 2) the clash between the UN's and the African Union’s organizational cultures; 3) the sheer size of Somalia's operating environment; 4) the country’s continued insecurity; and 5) the AU mission’s own problems as UNSOA’s principal client.