Somalia Expels Top AU Official Over Al-Shabaab Remarks

[Deeq A.]

Somalia Expels Top AU Official Over Al-Shabaab Remarks, Deepening Its Rift with International Partners.

The Somali government has declared the deputy head of the African Union stabilization mission in Somalia persona non grata following remarks he made regarding the April 9 Al-Shabaab offensive, which reportedly angered Muqdishu administration.

This latest expulsion adds to a troubling pattern in which Mogadishu has repeatedly resorted to the diplomatic tool of declaring foreign officials unwelcome—a trend that risks damaging Somalia’s international standing.

Somalia has previously expelled Nicholas Haysom, the former head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), in 2019, after he questioned the legality of arrests surrounding a regional election. A senior officer at the Ethiopian Embassy in Mogadishu was also expelled in 2024 amid tensions over Ethiopia’s relations with Somaliland.

In another incident, the Danish ambassador to Somalia was threatened with being declared persona non grata simply for praising Somaliland’s peaceful and democratic elections—comments that apparently clashed with the Muqdishu administration’s political sensitivities.

Somalian regime’s overuse of persona non grata declarations has alarmed diplomats and observers alike, signaling an increasingly hostile posture toward international partners.

Such repeated diplomatic ejections not only undermine Somalia’s credibility on the international stage but also risk isolating the country at a time when regional cooperation and international support are more critical than ever.

Inside Africa

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