The Federal Government of Somalia has confirmed that it has begun taking over some responsibilities previously handled by the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS), as the UN mission moves toward the end of its mandate.
Somalia’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Hassan Moallim Mohamud, said the UN office is being closed after years of supporting the country’s institutions and political processes. He said the Ministry took over its justice-related responsibilities on August 24.
“On August 24, we took over our justice-related responsibilities from the UNTMIS office, which is closing,” the minister said.
The minister said the Somali government is prepared to assume responsibility for the duties previously carried out by UNTMIS, including supporting dialogue among Somalia’s politically divided stakeholders.
UNTMIS was established in November 2024 to oversee a two-year transition of UN functions to the Somali government, the UN Country Team and other stakeholders.
The UN Security Council has set October 31, 2026, as the target date for the mission to cease operations.
The mission has supported Somalia in areas including political dialogue, reconciliation, justice, governance and electoral processes. Some of these responsibilities are being transferred to Somali institutions and other UN agencies as part of the transition.
The development comes amid wider changes in international support for Somalia, including concerns over funding for the UN Support Office in Somalia which provides logistical support to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
Mustaqbal
