The UN established UNSOM in 2013 to help Somalia's authorities restore democracy and the rule of law after more than two decades of conflict. (EPA Images pic)NAIROBI: The UN political mission in Somalia ended on Saturday after a two-year transition, closing a chapter of more than three decades of UN peacebuilding operations in the east African nation.
UNSOM was established by the UN Security Council in 2013 to support Somali authorities in the transition to democracy and the rule of law after more than two decades of conflict involving militias, Islamist groups and criminal gangs.
It started as the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) in 1995.
In May 2024, Somalia's president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud asked the UN to end the mission ahead of the expiry of its mandate in October that year. He later revised the request, proposing a two-year transition period.
