Nairobi. The United Nations’ ongoing political campaign for Somalia ended on Saturday after a two-year transition period. It closes a chapter in the United Nations’ peace-building mission in the East African nation that has lasted for more than three decades.
UNSOM was established by the United Nations Security Council in 2013. It was intended to help Somali authorities transition to democracy and the rule of law after more than two decades of conflict.
It started in 1995 as the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPS). In May 2024, the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, requested that the mission be terminated in October before it expired.
He later proposed a two-year transition period. During the transition period, UNSOM was renamed the United Nations Transition Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS).
“Today is not the end of the partnership between the United Nations and Somalia, but rather the end of one chapter and the beginning of another,” Rezdon Zenenga, Interim Head of UNMIS and Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, said in a statement.
“Major challenges remain, but the end of UNMIS is a result of the significant progress Somalia has made since the early years of international cooperation,” he added. Mission responsibilities have been transferred to Somali organizations or teams from UN member states. This end comes at a time when Al-Shabaab, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda, still controls large parts of central Somalia.
Despite a large international military campaign against this group, which has been fighting the Somali government for two decades, the situation has not been brought under control. The announcement comes at a time when the fight against al-Shabaab is in further jeopardy due to cuts in international aid.