Somalia and the United Nations

How do Somalia and the UN relate today?

Somalia is a full member of the United Nations and holds a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for 2025 and 2026. It won the seat on 6 June 2024 with 179 votes in the General Assembly (UN General Assembly, record A/78/PV.86, 6 June 2024; UN News, 6 June 2024).

The UN's last political mission in Somalia, the UN Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS), stopped work on 31 October 2026 (Al Jazeera, 31 October 2026). UN agencies, funds and programmes remain in the country (Citizen Digital, 27 October 2026).

The UN also pays for logistics to the African Union mission, AUSSOM, through its support office UNSOS. The Security Council renewed AUSSOM to 31 December 2026 in resolution 2809, adopted 15 votes to none on 23 December 2025 (UN Project, S/RES/2809 (2025); Security Council Report, S/RES/2809).

The 2026 humanitarian plan, launched on 26 January 2026 by the government, the UN and partners, asked for US$852 million to reach 2.4 million people (UN Somalia, January 2026). The 2025 plan had asked for US$1.4 billion and was 27% funded (Africanews, 27 January 2026).

When did Somalia join the UN?

The UN governed the former Italian Somaliland as a trust territory from 1950 to 1960, with Italy as administrator. See The UN trusteeship, 1950 to 1960.

After independence and union in July 1960, the Security Council recommended Somalia for membership on 5 July 1960 in resolution 141, by 11 votes to none (UN Digital Library, S/RES/141 (1960)). The General Assembly admitted the Republic of Somalia on 20 September 1960, without a vote, in resolution 1479 (XV) (UN Digital Library, A/RES/1479 (XV); Security Council Report, A/RES/1479 (XV)).

What does Somalia pay and receive?

Somalia has often been behind on its UN dues. Under Article 19 of the Charter a member that owes two full years of dues can lose its General Assembly vote (UN press release GA/AB/4356, 2020).

The General Assembly has repeatedly let Somalia keep its vote, finding that its arrears were "due to conditions beyond its control" (UN General Assembly, A/RES/73/4, 2018; Hiiraan Online, October 2022). In 2022 the Secretary-General put the minimum payment Somalia needed to avoid losing its vote at US$1,443,640 (Hiiraan Online, October 2022).

On the receiving side, UN agencies run most of the humanitarian response. See Aid and humanitarian funding for yearly totals.

Who represented Somalia at the UN?

• Abdulrahim Abby Farah: Somalia's Permanent Representative in New York from 1965 to 1972. He chaired the UN Special Committee against Apartheid from 1969 to 1972 and later served as a senior UN official from 1979 (Hiiraan Online, obituary, June 2018; Goobjoog News, 2018).
• Abukar Dahir Osman: Permanent Representative since 2017, when he presented his credentials to Secretary-General António Guterres. Before that he was chief of staff in the Office of the President from 2014 to 2017 (UN press release BIO/4988, 2017; Permanent Mission of Somalia, staff).
• Osman as Council president: He presided over the Security Council in January 2026 and set out its work programme on 2 January 2026 (UN press conference, 2 January 2026; Anadolu Agency, January 2026).
• Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf: a Somali judge of the International Court of Justice, the UN's main court. His fellow judges elected him President of the Court on 6 February 2018 for three years (Africanews, 6 February 2018). He left the bench on 30 September 2025 (AllAfrica, June 2025). See Abdulqawi Yusuf.

Who led the UN's work on Somalia?

The Secretary-General's special representatives (SRSGs) led the UN political presence. In order:

• Mohamed Sahnoun (Algeria): appointed Special Representative on 28 April 1992; left for Somalia on 1 May 1992 (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM I background).
• Ismat Kittani (Iraq): appointed on 3 November 1992 to replace Sahnoun (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM I).
• Admiral Jonathan Howe (United States): appointed from 9 March 1993 to lead UNOSOM II; he served for about a year (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM II background).
• Lansana Kouyaté (Guinea): deputy, then acting Special Representative from February 1994 (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM II).
• James Victor Gbeho (Ghana): Special Representative from 1 July 1994 until UNOSOM II ended (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM II).
• François Lonseny Fall (Guinea): named Special Representative and head of the UN Political Office for Somalia, based in Nairobi, in May 2005 (UN Digital Library, May 2005; UN press release SG/A/919, 2005).
• Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah (Mauritania): Special Representative from September 2007 (UNPOS).
• Augustine Mahiga (Tanzania): appointed on 9 June 2010; he led UNPOS through the end of the transition in 2012 (UNPOS).
• Nicholas Kay (United Kingdom): appointed in April 2013 as the first head of UNSOM (UNSOM).
• Michael Keating (United Kingdom): appointed on 23 November 2015 (UNSOM).
• Nicholas Haysom (South Africa): appointed in September 2018; the government declared him persona non grata on 1 January 2019 (The EastAfrican, January 2019).
• James Swan (United States): appointed in May 2019 (UN Somalia) and served to 2022 (Hiiraan Online, 15 May 2024). He returned as acting Special Representative in May 2024 (Hiiraan Online, 15 May 2024; UN press release SG/A/2289, 2024).
• Catriona Laing (United Kingdom): appointed on 3 May 2023, succeeding Swan; she left in May 2024 (UN press release SG/A/2199, 2023; SONNA, 2023).
• Raisedon Zenenga (Zimbabwe): Deputy Special Representative and officer-in-charge of UNTMIS at its close (UNTMIS, leadership). He led the closing ceremony in Mogadishu on 26 October 2026 with Deputy Prime Minister Saleh Ahmed Jama (Dawan Africa, October 2026).
• George Conway: Deputy Special Representative, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, who now leads the UN agencies (UNTMIS, leadership).

The first UN peacekeeping force commander with combat troops, under UNOSOM II, was Lieutenant-General Çevik Bir of Turkey (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM II).

Which UN missions has Somalia hosted?

• UNOSOM I, 1992 to 1993: created by resolution 751 on 24 April 1992 to watch a ceasefire in Mogadishu, starting with 50 unarmed observers (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM I).
• UNITAF, December 1992 to May 1993: a US-led force authorised by resolution 794 on 3 December 1992; it had about 37,000 troops by March 1993 (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM I).
• UNOSOM II, 1993 to 1995: created by resolution 814 on 26 March 1993 under Chapter VII. It had 18,761 troops in August 1994; its rearguard left on 2 March 1995 (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM II).
• UNPOS, 1995 to 2013: the UN Political Office for Somalia, set up on 15 April 1995 (UNPOS).
• UNSOM, 2013 to 2024: created by resolution 2102 on 2 May 2013 and deployed from 3 June 2013 (Security Council Report, Somalia chronology).
• UNSOS, from 2015: the UN Support Office in Somalia, set up by resolution 2245 on 9 November 2015 to supply the AU mission (Security Council Report, Somalia chronology).
• UNTMIS, 2024 to 2026: created by resolution 2753 on 30 October 2024 for a two-year handover (UN Security Council, S/RES/2753 (2024)).

UNSOM had offices in Mogadishu, Kismaayo, Hargeisa, Garowe, Baidoa and Beledweyne (UNSOM, offices). For the agencies that remain, see International bodies in Somalia. For the 1992 to 1995 operations in detail, see The UN intervention, 1992 to 1995.

What has the Security Council decided on Somalia?

• 23 January 1992, resolution 733: urged a ceasefire and imposed an arms embargo on Somalia (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM I; UN press release SC/9314, 2008).
• 24 April 1992, resolution 751: created UNOSOM and a committee to oversee the embargo (UN Digital Library, S/RES/751).
• 3 December 1992, resolution 794: authorised "all necessary means" for a secure environment for relief (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM I).
• 26 March 1993, resolution 814: expanded UNOSOM into UNOSOM II (UN Digital Library, S/RES/814).
• 6 June 1993, resolution 837: adopted after 25 Pakistani soldiers were killed on 5 June 1993 (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM II).
• 4 November 1994, resolution 954: extended UNOSOM II for a final period to 31 March 1995 (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM II).
• 22 February 2012, resolution 2036: raised the AU force ceiling from 12,000 to 17,731 (Security Council Report, chronology).
• 6 March 2013, resolution 2093: partly lifted the arms embargo for the government for 12 months (Security Council Report, chronology).
• 14 November 2018, resolution 2444: lifted sanctions on Eritrea and kept the Somalia regime (Security Council Report, chronology).
• 1 December 2023, resolution 2714: lifted the 1992 arms embargo on the Somali government, unanimously. Resolution 2713, the same day, kept sanctions and an arms embargo on Al-Shabaab, with France abstaining (Security Council Report, S/RES/2713; UN Project, S/RES/2714).
• December 2023, resolution 2719: allowed up to 75% of AU-led missions to be paid from UN assessed contributions, case by case (ISS Africa). In May 2025 the Council could not agree to apply it to AUSSOM (Security Council Report, May 2025).
• 30 October 2024, resolution 2753: replaced UNSOM with UNTMIS from 1 November 2024 (UN Security Council, S/RES/2753).
• 27 December 2024, resolution 2767: endorsed AUSSOM from 1 January 2025; the United States abstained (Stimson Center, 2025).
• 23 December 2025, resolution 2809: renewed AUSSOM to 31 December 2026 with up to 11,826 uniformed personnel, and set UNTMIS to close on 31 October 2026 (UN Project, S/RES/2809).

For the arms embargo history, see The UN arms embargo, 1992 to 2023. For the sanctions experts, see UN Monitoring Group on Somalia.

The Council also authorised foreign navies to act against piracy off Somalia each year from 2008 to 2021. Its last renewal, resolution 2608 of 3 December 2021, ran for three months (Security Council Report, chronology). See Piracy off Somalia.

How did the last mission end?

In May 2024 the foreign minister wrote to the Security Council asking it to end UNSOM when its mandate expired in October 2024 (The EastAfrican, May 2024). The government later proposed a two-year transition instead, an idea put forward by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (TRT Afrika, October 2024).

The Council agreed and created UNTMIS (UN Security Council, S/RES/2753). Its tasks passed to Somali institutions and UN agencies under a roadmap agreed with the government (Citizen Digital, 27 October 2026).

What about security?

Since UNOSOM II left in 1995, the UN's security role has been to authorise the African Union missions, supply them through UNSOS and run the sanctions regime. See AMISOM, ATMIS, AUSSOM and Foreign forces in Somalia.

How does the UN deal with Somaliland and the member states?

• Somaliland: the UN treats Somaliland as part of Somalia. UN missions kept an office in Hargeisa (UNSOM, offices).
• Israel's recognition: after Israel recognised Somaliland on 26 December 2025, the Security Council met on 29 December 2025 at Somalia's request (UN press release SC/16270, 29 December 2025). Somalia called the recognition an unlawful attack on its sovereignty; 14 of 15 members criticised it; the United States said its own Somalia policy was unchanged (Al Jazeera, 30 December 2025). No resolution was adopted (UN Project, S/PV.10084).
• Member states: UNSOM worked in the state capitals through its offices in Garowe, Kismaayo, Baidoa and Beledweyne (UNSOM, offices).

Have there been disputes?

• UNOSOM II and the Mogadishu fighting, 1993: 25 Pakistani soldiers were killed on 5 June 1993 and 18 US soldiers on 3 October 1993 (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM II). See The Battle of Mogadishu, 1993.
• Haysom's expulsion, 2019: Haysom had questioned the arrest of Mukhtar Robow in December 2018. The foreign ministry said he "is not required and cannot work in this country" (The EastAfrican, January 2019). The Security Council said it regretted the decision (The EastAfrican). Secretary-General Guterres said he had "full confidence" in Haysom (UN News, January 2019).
• Funding the AU mission: Somalia and the AU asked for UN assessed funding for AUSSOM under resolution 2719; the Council did not agree in 2025 (Security Council Report, May 2025).

Related pages

• International bodies in Somalia
• The UN trusteeship, 1950 to 1960
• The UN intervention, 1992 to 1995
• The UN arms embargo, 1992 to 2023
• UN Monitoring Group on Somalia
• AUSSOM
• Aid and humanitarian funding
• Somalia and the African Union