UNTMIS ends its work on 31 October, closing the UN's continuous political mission in Somalia, which began in 2013. No agreed replacement has been set up to mediate the dispute over elections and the presidential term.
The United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS) ends its work on Saturday 31 October. Its closure ends the UN's continuous special political mission in the country, which began with UNSOM in 2013, and follows more than three decades of wider UN involvement, UN News reported.
"The story of the UN's political engagement in Somalia has been one of persistence, partnership and adaptation," said Raisedon Zenenga, the Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative and officer-in-charge of UNTMIS. He said Somalia now has national and federal institutions "that did not exist when the UN's political engagement began", but that continued international engagement "will remain important".
The closure follows Security Council resolutions 2753 (2024) and 2809 (2025), which set out a phased handover to Somali institutions and UN agencies. Secretary-General António Guterres praised Somalia's state-building progress but warned that significant political, security and humanitarian challenges remain, The Standard reported.
Election standoff
AP reported that no direct replacement has been agreed for the mission's mediation role. Federal leaders and the opposition remain divided over the timing and model of elections and over the president's mandate. The government calls the closure a milestone in its ability to manage its own affairs; critics say it removes a key channel for resolving disputes.
The electoral commission has set parliamentary elections for 15 April 2027 and a presidential vote for 15 May 2027; the opposition has rejected the timetable. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud supports one-person, one-vote elections. He has invited the Somali Future Council, the National Unity Forum, the Nabad iyo Nolol party and a civil society coalition to talks in Mogadishu from 14 to 18 November, Dawan Africa reported. Puntland and Jubaland have also rejected the timetable. Local media report that the Somali Future Council is divided over attending and wants international mediation first.
In Somaliland, the self-declared republic that is not internationally recognised and that Mogadishu considers part of Somalia, the authorities have barred residents from taking part in Somalia's political activities, according to local reports.
What stays
About 25 UN agencies, funds and programmes will continue humanitarian and development work, and African Union forces remain in the country. The UN says 4.8 million Somalis need humanitarian assistance this year. By mid-October only about 35 per cent of the $852 million appeal had been funded. The Secretary-General has also called for continued support against al-Shabaab, as Uganda begins withdrawing troops after nearly 20 years.
"Today is not an end to the partnership between the United Nations and Somalia," Zenenga said. "It marks the conclusion of one chapter and the beginning of another."
Photo: UN envoy James Swan before a Security Council meeting on Somalia, 24 February 2020. UN Photo/Manuel Elias, via UNSOM and Wikimedia Commons, CC0.