Somalia’s government wants the United Nations (U.N.) to end its political mission in the country. This mission has been helping Somalia with peace, security, and democracy for over ten years. The government sent a letter to the U.N. asking them to leave when their work ends in October.
This decision surprised the U.N. because the Somali government didn’t give any reasons for it. Somalia has faced conflict since 1991, including attacks by a group linked to al Qaeda. The government has been trying to improve services and security, but Somalia is still a very violent and poor country.
The end of the political mission is not connected to another U.N. mission that involves African Union soldiers. These soldiers are going to leave Somalia and let the Somali government take control by the end of the year.
The letter from the Somali Foreign Minister, Aimed Moa Fiji, didn’t explain why they wanted the U.N. mission to end. They just said they believed it was time to move to the next phase of their partnership.
A presidential adviser confirmed the letter and said Somalia didn’t need the U.N.’s help to work with other countries anymore. They said the U.N. mission had been helpful before but now it wasn’t needed. The U.N. mission also cost $100 million every year.
Matt Bryden, who studies Somalia, said the government had accused the U.N. mission of interfering in Somalia’s affairs before. While the U.N. tried to balance the federal government’s plans with what individual states wanted, the president has been making changes to give the central government more power.
Now that the U.N. mission is ending, Bryden thinks the Somali government will make decisions on its own, without waiting for input from the U.N.
The U.N. said Somalia’s request showed the good work they had done over the years. Even though the political mission is ending, other U.N. agencies will still work in Somalia.
