African Union

=== Somalia ===
{{main|African Union Mission to Somalia}}
[[File:AMISOM Kismayo Advance 15 (8049962361).jpg|thumb|Kenyan soldiers and fighters of the [[Ras Kamboni Brigades]], a Somali government-allied militia, near [[Kismayo]], Somalia, 2012]]
From the early 1990s up until 2000, [[Somalia]] was without a functioning central government. A peace agreement aimed at ending the [[Somali Civil War|civil war]] that broke out following the collapse of the [[Siad Barre]] regime was signed in 2006 after many years of peace talks. However, the new government was almost immediately threatened by further violence. In February 2007, the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) worked together to establish the [[African Union Mission to Somalia (2007-present)|African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM)]]. The purpose of AMISOM was to create a foundation that would hopefully provide aid to some of Somalia's most vulnerable and keep the peace in the region. They are tasked with everything from protecting federal institutions to facilitating humanitarian relief operations. Much of the AU's opposition comes from an Islamic extremist group named [[Al-Shabaab (militant group)|al-Shabaab]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Anderson |first=Noel |date=2014 |title=Peacekeepers Fighting a Counterinsurgency Campaign: A Net Assessment of the African Union Mission in Somalia |journal=Studies in Conflict and Terrorism |volume=37 |issue=11 |pages=936–954 |doi=10.1080/1057610X.2014.952260 |s2cid=109822861 }}</ref> To temporarily shore up the government's military base, starting in March 2007, AU soldiers began arriving in [[Mogadishu]] as part of a peacekeeping force that was intended by the AU to eventually be 8,000 strong.<ref name="bbc2115736">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2115736.stm |work=BBC News |title=African Union replaces dictators' club |date=8 July 2002 |access-date=23 April 2010 |first=Paul |last=Reynolds |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601025542/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2115736.stm |archive-date=1 June 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> Eritrea recalled its ambassadors to the African Union on 20 November 2009<ref>[http://www.afrol.com/articles/10577 Afro News] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824072414/http://www.afrol.com/articles/10577 |date=24 August 2011 }} ''Eritrea breaks with African Union'', 20 November 2009.</ref> after the African Union called on the United Nations Security Council to impose sanctions on them due to their alleged support of Somali Islamists attempting to topple the [[Transitional Federal Government]] of Somalia, the internationally recognised government of Somalia which holds Somalia's seat on the African Union.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8064939.stm "AU calls for sanctions on Eritrea"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107104635/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8064939.stm |date=7 November 2017 }} BBC.co.uk 23 May 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2009</ref> On 22 December 2009, the United Nations Security Council passed [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1907|UNSCR 1907]], which imposed an arms embargo on Eritrea, travel bans on Eritrean leaders, and asset freezes on Eritrean officials. Eritrea strongly criticised the resolution. In January 2011, Eritrea reestablished their mission to the AU in Addis Ababa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201101210166.html |title=Eritrea: Nation Appoints AU Envoy in Ethiopia |date=20 January 2011 |access-date=9 May 2011 |archive-date=29 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629134439/http://allafrica.com/stories/201101210166.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the fall of 2011, AMISOM forces, along with Kenyan and Ethiopian forces, launched a set of offensive attacks on the [[Al-Shabaab (militant group)|al-Shabaab]]. In these attacks, [[African Union Mission to Somalia (2007-present)|AMISOM]] forces were able to reclaim key cities including the Somali capital of [[Mogadishu]]. In September 2013, political scientist Ethan Bueno de Mesquita argued that with the help of [[African Union Mission to Somalia (2007-present)|AMISOM]] forces, they had made it "nearly impossible for [[Al-Shabaab (militant group)|al-Shabaab]] to hold territory even in its former strongholds in southern Somalia". Although much progress has been made towards peace in the region, it should still be noted that African Union forces' still get attacked regularly. Despite [[African Union Mission to Somalia (2007-present)|AMISOM]] being effective, it is vastly underfunded and many forces lack the resources required. Funding for humanitarian relief and the formation of armies tends to be vastly undercut.<ref name=":3" />