Sir Nick Kay

Somalia turns a page as UN political mission concludes after two decades of partnership Mogadishu, 31 October 2026 – The two-year transition of the United Nations political mission in Somalia was completed today, in line with the request of the Federal Government of Somalia, bringing to a close more than three decades of United Nations’ sustained engagement supporting peacebuilding, state-building, governance and reconciliation in the country. The closure of the UN Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS) represents the final chapter in a continuum of political support that began with the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) in 1995, continued through the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) from 2013, and entered its final transition phase as UNTMIS in 2024. Under the two-year roadmap for the transition, agreed between Somalia and the United Nations, UNTMIS responsibilities were progressively transferred to Somali institutions, UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes, and the United Nations Support Office for Somalia (UNSOS). “Today is not an end to the partnership between the United Nations and Somalia—rather, it marks the conclusion of one chapter and the beginning of another,” said UNTMIS’ Officer-in-Charge, the UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Somalia, Raisedon Zenenga. Read full article: untmis.unmissions.org/en/new…

The departure of UNTMIS may reduce the continuity of independent political reporting, specialised mediation and coordinated international engagement at a time when constitutional disagreements, relations between the Federal Government and Federal Member States, and electoral arrangements remain central to the country’s stability. Read more my analysis. dawan.africa/news/opinion-be…

In 2019, when General Chris Donahue @CDonahue1792 arrived in Afghanistan, we called him CD the battlefield changed within days in Afghanistan, as we called General Christopher Donahue, he had helped lead the campaigns in Iraq and Syria that broke ISIS’s territorial grip. His leadership, vision, and relentless focus made a decisive difference. I had the privilege of serving alongside him as JSOC Commander while he led NATO Special Forces in Afghanistan. He was the finest American counterpart I ever worked with—a brother, a comrade, and a leader of continental significance. His retirement would be a profound loss not only for the U.S. Army, but for America’s military leadership. I respectfully urge @realDonaldTrump to reconsider his removal and instead elevate him to Chief of Staff of the Army. Leaders of this caliber are exceptionally rare. America needs them now more than ever. Thank you, my brother, for your extraordinary service and sacrifice. You are a true hero.

🔷Our first working group meeting for “𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗗𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗰𝘆” took place in Istanbul on 11–12 March 2026. Basket I — Rules, Norms, and Values in International Relations brought together diplomats and academics for two days of structured discussion. 🟧The framing question guiding the two days was: 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙨, 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙨? The participants examined the key fault lines undermining the normative foundations of international relations and their concrete implications for diplomacy and crisis management. This is the first working group meeting of Basket I, part of a series of discussions taking place ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara (7–8 July). The findings will feed into a public conference in Istanbul, where policy recommendations will be presented and the Summit's outcomes assessed. @diplowb @timursoylemez @IscanErdogan @NicholasK111 @OsnatLubrani