The era of multilateral peacekeeping draws to an unhappy close

The new year was supposed to herald a bright new era of multilateral co-operation. A slimmed-down peacekeeping force convened by the African Union (AU) but paid for primarily by the UN was to begin battling against jihadists in Somalia on January 1st, replacing a mission reluctantly funded by the European Union. The arrangement was meant to pave the way for similar operations elsewhere, with the African troops fighting local insurgencies henceforth guaranteed reliable international funding. The UN Security Council endorsed the new Somalia mission on December 27th. But it is unlikely to live up to its lofty aims. As 2024 drew to a close, diplomats had yet to establish who would pay for it or which countries would contribute peacekeeping troops.