MOGADISHU, Somalia — Kosovo is seeking urgent answers from Somalia after nine members of an official delegation failed to appear for their scheduled departure from Pristina, prompting questions about their whereabouts and safety.
In a diplomatic letter dated October 30, 2026, Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora said it remained seriously concerned about the nine individuals, whose location, condition and possible exit from the country had not been confirmed.
The two-page communication, issued as a Note Verbale under reference number 4868-561/26, was sent to Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The Somali delegation arrived in Kosovo on October 25, 2026, at 7:45 p.m. on a Turkish Airlines flight, according to the letter. It was headed by Said Mohamed Mohamud, Somalia’s State Minister for Public Works, Housing and Reconstruction, and Fartuun Abdikadir Farah, Deputy Minister of Ports. Other officials and delegation members also travelled with them.
Kosovo said its State Protocol records identified nine accompanying members whose status required clarification.
According to the ministry, State Protocol learned on October 28, as officials prepared for the delegation’s programme and airport transfer, that the nine had checked out of their accommodation at Dua Village at about 7:10 p.m. the previous evening.
The group reportedly departed without informing the authorities assigned to accompany them during their visit.
Initial information indicated that the nine had left the accommodation on their own and may have travelled to a location outside Kosovo. The ministry cautioned, however, that this information neither confirmed their whereabouts nor established that they had left the country.
Kosovo’s State Protocol subsequently sought answers from representatives of the Somali delegation, but the diplomatic letter said no concrete information had been provided by the time it was issued.
State Minister Said Mohamed Mohamud departed Kosovo on October 28, followed later that day by Deputy Minister Fartuun Abdikadir Farah, the ministry said.
The nine accompanying members, however, did not appear at the VIP Terminal at Pristina International Airport, where they were expected to board their scheduled flight.
Kosovo said it had been unable to verify their location, residence status or whether they had departed its territory.
The ministry formally asked the Somali government to explain the circumstances of the nine individuals’ disappearance and provide details about their current location and safety.
It also urged Mogadishu to keep Kosovo’s competent authorities and State Protocol informed of any changes to the delegation’s travel plans, including arrangements for members’ accommodation and departure.
The episode has reportedly led to political consequences in Somalia, where two federal ministers are said to have been removed from office over allegations that they helped arrange the nine individuals’ travel in exchange for money.
The allegations claim that the young people were represented as government employees and added to the official delegation in order to secure travel visas. Kosovo’s diplomatic communication, however, makes no reference to payments, visa sales or alleged involvement by Somali ministers.
Sources familiar with the case have further claimed that the nine later travelled to other countries and applied for asylum. Their destinations and current immigration status have not been independently verified.
Nor does Kosovo’s letter confirm that the individuals sought asylum or entered another country. It records instead that authorities were unable to determine their whereabouts after they left the Pristina accommodation.
The incident has intensified scrutiny of how official foreign delegations are managed, how accompanying personnel are selected and whether government-sponsored international travel may have involved irregularities.
The letter confirms that the nine left Dua Village at about 7:10 p.m. on October 27, did not report to the airport on October 28 and remained unaccounted for from Kosovo’s perspective.
