By - Reporter
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MOGADISHU, Oct 26 2026 - The United Nations held a ceremony in Mogadishu on Monday to mark the end of its political mission in Somalia, concluding 13 years of engagement that began with the establishment of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) in 2013.
The ceremony was led by Raisedon Zenenga, acting head of the UN Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS), and Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Saleh Ahmed Jama. The mission’s mandate formally ends on Oct. 31.
“The closure... does not signal the end of UN support, nor does it diminish Somalia’s partners’ commitment,” Zenenga said. “Instead, it opens a new chapter in the UN’s partnership with Somalia.”
The closure follows a two-year transition requested by the Somali government and endorsed by the U.N. Security Council. During that period, a joint technical committee oversaw the handover of the mission’s functions to Somali institutions, the UN country team and the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS).
Zenenga thanked President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for agreeing to the two-year transition, and Britain, which leads on Somalia at the Security Council, for guiding the resolution through the council.
He said that when the mission began in 2013, Somalia was in the early stages of rebuilding national institutions and setting up a federal system after decades of conflict and state collapse. The mission supported the creation of federal member states, electoral processes, justice and police institutions, security sector reform and human rights frameworks, including the establishment of the Human Rights Commission.
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“Somalia’s progress is the result of a collective endeavour,” he said.
The UN country team, led by Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator George Conway, will continue supporting Somalia’s national priorities, Zenenga said.
He also welcomed an invitation by President Mohamud to political stakeholders to hold dialogue, and acknowledged the presence of former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed at the ceremony.
“Above all, we leave with the conviction that the partnership between Somalia and the UN will endure, together with our shared hope for a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Somalia,” Zenenga said.
The ceremony was attended by senior government officials, representatives of Somalia’s international partners and civil society, and senior UN officials.