The United Nations has officially ended its political mission in Somalia after more than 30 years of political engagement and peacebuilding efforts, marking a major change in the international organisation’s presence in the country.
The UN Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS) closed on Saturday following a two-year transition period during which its responsibilities were gradually transferred to Somali institutions and the UN country team. The closure brings an end to a long period of dedicated UN political missions in Somalia, although cooperation between the country and the organisation is expected to continue.
The decision followed a request made by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in May 2024. He initially asked the United Nations to end its political mission before its mandate expired in October that year. However, he later revised his position, proposing a two-year transition to give Somali authorities and relevant UN bodies sufficient time to take over the mission’s responsibilities.
As part of that process, the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), which had operated in the country since 2013, was renamed the UN Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS).
UNSOM was established by the UN Security Council to support Somali authorities in rebuilding state institutions, strengthening democratic governance and promoting the rule of law after decades of conflict. Its establishment followed the work of the UN Political Office for Somalia, which began operating in 1995.
The closure was marked by a statement from Raisedon Zenenga, UNTMIS officer-in-charge and the UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Somalia. He stressed that ending the mission should not be interpreted as the end of the relationship between Somalia and the United Nations.
“Today is not an end to the partnership between the United Nations and Somalia. Rather, it marks the conclusion of one chapter and the beginning of another,” Zenenga said.
He also recognised the challenges that remain while pointing to the progress Somalia has made since international recovery efforts began.
“While significant challenges remain, the closure of UNTMIS comes after considerable progress by Somalia since the early years of international efforts to support the country’s recovery,” he added.
However, the end of the political mission comes at a difficult time for Somalia, which continues to face serious security challenges. Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group, has fought the Somali government for approximately two decades and continues to control large areas of central Somalia despite years of military operations involving Somali forces and international partners.
The financial sustainability of those operations has also become a concern as international support declines. The United States has withdrawn all funding for a key United Nations logistics mission, raising questions about how military operations against Al-Shabaab will be supported in the coming months.
Somalia is also preparing for parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for next May. However, persistent insecurity and disagreements between the government and opposition groups could complicate the electoral process.
The closure of UNTMIS therefore represents an important institutional transition rather than the end of the challenges that first brought the United Nations into Somalia. With its political mission now concluded, responsibility for several areas of cooperation rests with Somali institutions and the wider UN country team, while the country’s security and political situation remains a significant test of its recovery efforts.
