UK ambassador Charles King remains in high-threat Mogadishu

Writer Charles KingSaturday May 2, 2026

Charles King, the UK ambassador to the Federal Republic of Somalia, takes readers inside the routines and risks that define one of the world’s most challenging diplomatic assignments.

In most capitals, the day begins with an alarm clock. In Mogadishu, my mornings lately have often started instead with the thunder of an F-16 fighter jet overhead. From there, it is a two-minute walk from my armoured pod to the chancery — a brief crossing under Somalia’s fierce sun that is a world away from earlier postings in places like Paris or Istanbul.

In 2013, the UK was among the first Western nations to reopen an embassy in Somalia. I have served as Britain’s ambassador in Mogadishu for nearly a year. Our compound sits between the international airport and the sea. The Indian Ocean views can be calming, although no one is encouraged to swim because sharks are known to lurk nearby. The embassy brings together the full range of the UK’s international work, from diplomats and military staff to humanitarian specialists.

The British Embassy in Mogadishu (Images: Jane Barlow/Alamy)

Since the embassy reopened, we have worked side by side with successive Somali governments and international partners to confront threats from terrorist groups including Al-Shabaab and Islamic State, tackle piracy at sea and ease human suffering. We also support the African Union’s peacekeeping mission and the UN’s logistical efforts. The white UN helicopters that lift off for, or return from, the front lines are a constant part of life here. Somalia has seen genuine progress, yet many of those gains remain fragile, and the country remains an unforgiving place to operate. It is one of the UK diplomatic network’s highest-threat posts, which makes security for me and my colleagues the overriding priority. I have grown used to slipping in and out of body armour and armoured vehicles. It is not always the easiest way to work, but it allows us to get out, travel and do our jobs as diplomats. Mogadishu is our base, but I travel across the country.

There is still room, too, for some of the more familiar rituals of diplomacy. Earlier this year, we hosted a Burns Night celebration. Poetry and a ceilidh can bring people together in places where that might seem unlikely, even in a conflict zone. For a moment, I was convinced the Kenyan ambassador’s heart was in the Highlands. That kind of outreach matters: building relationships across Somalia and understanding how best to support progress is at the heart of why we are here. It serves the interests of Somalia, the UK and the wider international community alike. I only need to remember to keep my ear plugs close at hand.

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Charles King is the UK ambassador to the Federal Republic of Somalia.