Sri Lanka, Oct. 9 -- The United Nations will be forced to reduce its peacekeeping forces worldwide by around 25 per cent due to a lack of funding, largely linked to US aid cuts, a senior UN official said on Wednesday (Oct 8).

About 13,000 to 14,000 military and police personnel, as well as their equipment, will have to be repatriated, the official said on condition of anonymity, with "a large number of civilian staff in missions" also to be affected.

The United States was expected to contribute US$1.3 billion of the total US$5.4 billion budget for 2025-2026 peacekeeping operations.

But it has now informed the UN that it will only pay around half the amount, or US$682 million - which includes US$85 million earmarked for a new internatio...