UN to cut 25% of peacekeeping amid US funding shortfall

The United Nations announced on Wednesday it will cut roughly 25 percent of its global peacekeeping force in the coming months, forcing the return of an estimated 13,000 to 14,000 military and police personnel from overseas missions as a result of reduced funding from the United States, a senior U.N. official told reporters. The reductions will also affect civilian staff and equipment across several peacekeeping operations.

U.N. officials said the cuts will be implemented across nine active missions and will require repatriation of personnel and materiel. Missions and support offices likely to be affected include deployments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus, Kosovo and the U.N. support office in Somalia. Officials cautioned the timing and precise operational impacts remain unclear but said the reductions will be significant for both uniformed and civilian roles.

The decision follows sharp changes in U.S. funding. The United States is the U.N.'s largest contributor to peacekeeping and accounts for roughly one quarter of assessed funding for operations. U.N. officials said the U.S. entered the new financial year...