UN Staff Flown From Somalia to Kenya Following UNTMIS Closure
MOGADISHU, Somalia — United Nations personnel were evacuated from Mogadishu’s Halane compound on Sunday and flown to Nairobi aboard aircraft chartered by the UN, according to information about the operation.
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The movement came one day after the United Nations formally ended its Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS), closing a political mission that had helped shape the organization’s engagement with the country for decades.
Staff were transported to the Kenyan capital as the UN began a new phase of its presence in Somalia following the mission’s closure on Oct. 31.
The conclusion of UNTMIS is expected to open a new chapter in Somalia’s relationship with the international organization, with greater responsibility shifting toward Somali institutions.
The mission’s closure followed a two-year transition process designed to gradually hand responsibilities to the Somali government and reinforce national ownership of political and institutional affairs.
Ending UNTMIS will not remove the United Nations from Somalia. Other UN agencies and programs are expected to remain active, delivering humanitarian assistance and supporting development, peacebuilding and state-building efforts.
Situated near Mogadishu’s international airport, the Halane compound has long served as a central base for international personnel and diplomatic operations in Somalia.
The reported evacuation has prompted questions about how international staff will be accommodated at the compound after the mission’s shutdown.
It was not immediately clear how many UN personnel were taken to Nairobi or whether the transfer formed part of a previously planned relocation connected to the mission’s transition.
For more than three decades, the United Nations maintained a political and peacebuilding presence in Somalia through successive missions, supporting efforts to rebuild state institutions, advance political reconciliation and strengthen security.
The closure of UNTMIS represents a major change in that engagement, even as the organization is expected to continue its broader partnership with Somalia through its remaining agencies and programs.
AXADLETM
