Somalia’s U.N. mission is due to close Oct. 31 amid term dispute

Somalia’s United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission (UNTMIS) is scheduled to cease all operations on Oct. 31, ending a two-year transition as leaders remain divided over whether longer presidential and parliamentary terms apply to current officeholders. The closure concerns the political mission, not all U.N. operations or assistance in Somalia.

Security Council resolution 2809 (2025) directs the mission to close after its second transition phase. The U.N. says the transition followed a request from Somalia’s federal government and builds on the process established under resolution 2753 (2024).

The U.N. says UNTMIS’s mandated functions have been transferred to Somali institutions and U.N. agencies, funds and programmes under a jointly agreed roadmap. It also says resident U.N. agencies will continue supporting Somalia. The Associated Press reported that African Union forces and a separate U.N. office providing logistical support to African Union troops and some Somali security units will remain.

The distinction is practical: transferring the mission’s mandated functions does not, by itself, establish a separate arrangement for political mediation. AP reported on Oct. 29 that Somali leaders had not agreed on a mechanism to replace UNTMIS’s role in helping rival sides resolve political disputes.

The term change is one year; its application is disputed i

The constitutional amendments changed presidential and parliamentary terms from four years to five. That is a one-year increase, or 25% of the former four-year term. The central dispute is not the new term length, but whether it applies to people already in office.

The Somali government says the amendments allow President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and lawmakers to remain in office until 2027. Opposition leaders reject applying the changes to current officeholders and say their mandates have expired. AP reported that the previous presidential term was due to end May 15 and Parliament’s term April 14. The dispute over how the amendments apply remains unresolved.

The Security Council resolution directs the mission’s closure while also calling for inclusive and transparent electoral processes and peaceful resolution of electoral disputes. Those calls do not settle the domestic disagreement over current officeholders’ terms.

Proposed November talks follow inconclusive July meeting i

Talks supported by UNTMIS in July did not resolve the disagreement, AP reported. President Mohamud has invited political leaders to talks scheduled for Nov. 14–18. In its Oct. 29 report, AP said the main opposition groups had not confirmed whether they would attend.

Hiiraan Online separately reported that the opposition Somali Future Council urged U.N. action over the election and constitutional dispute, calling for international mediation and an inclusive electoral process. The proposed talks are the next reported opportunity for political leaders to address the dispute; their attendance and the outcome remain unsettled.