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.
The list of items up for sale is extensive: vehicles, generators, computers and IT equipment, office equipment, shipping containers, security watchtowers, wastewater treatment plants, prefabricated accommodation materials, medical and laboratory equipment, electrical appliances and heavy construction machinery. UNSOS said the list is indicative and may grow.
Interested firms have a narrow window to respond, with registration required by August 11 — just five days after the notice was published.
Civil society analysts in Mogadishu have indicated that the auction notice does not lay out a clear mechanism for independent oversight, warning that disposing of mission assets without transparency could weaken public trust and open the door to diversion of state property.
The auction notice does not link the sale to the funding dispute. But it follows a July 1 letter in which the United States cited concerns over Somalia’s performance against al-Shabab and its handling of security and governance issues, and comes as Washington has pushed back against extending UN logistical support for AUSSOM beyond current arrangements.
Somalia has fought al-Shabab for nearly two decades, and the group still holds sway over parts of the country. Leaders of AUSSOM troop-contributing nations have warned that a premature drawdown in support could open a security vacuum.
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