Dhusamareb (Somalia Today) — The United Nations has handed a fortified compound in the central town of Dhusamareb to Galmudug authorities, in a visible step in Somalia’s plan to wind down the UN’s political mission and bring more work under national control by late 2026.
The UN built and equipped the site at Hero Drogo for its staff, but it never used the facility as a full field platform.
On 30 November, UN officials formally turned it over to the Galmudug state government at a ceremony led by UN Special Representative James Swan and regional president Ahmed Abdi Karie “Qoor Qoor,” according to Swan’s remarks.
Swan said the United Nations had “constructed and equipped the compound for operations” in Galmudug.
“However, due to the United Nations’ financial situation and the projected closure of the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia in October 2026 at the request of the Federal Government of Somalia, this facility will now be transferred to the Government of the State of Galmudug for its use,” he told the audience.
He added that “the spirit of UN solidarity and support for the people of Galmudug” was as crucial to the handover as the bricks and concrete themselves.
Symbolic handover
Today, the Dhusamareb site stands as a walled compound with office blocks, accommodation for about 50 people, generators, water-purification systems, security installations, and a helicopter landing pad.
UN and Galmudug officials first broke ground for a new office on the site in 2023, after signing a land deal that cleared the way for a permanent presence in the state capital, according to a groundbreaking ceremony note from the UN.
Now the same site is changing hands.
Swan said the premises would help Galmudug authorities “pursue peace, stability, security and development,” and stressed that the UN’s support for the state “is not solely about a physical location.”
In addition, the United Nations Support Office in Somalia will train Galmudug technicians on the compound’s power, water, and security systems until the end of the year, before withdrawing its specialist staff.
For Galmudug’s leadership, the handover delivers a ready-made, secure complex.
Dhusamareb has become a political and security hub for central Somalia, and officials say the compound can host state institutions, visiting delegations, and security meetings in a more controlled environment.
Somalia’s UN transition
The Dhusamareb transfer falls within a broader shift in how the UN works in Somalia.
The UN Security Council agreed in October 2024 to replace the decade-old UN Assistance Mission in Somalia with a new, lighter mission, adopting resolution 2753.
Under that decision, the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia, or UNTMIS, began operations on 1 November 2024 and is due to run for two years.
The UN country team’s mission profile states that UNTMIS will shift political, peacebuilding, and rule-of-law tasks to UN agencies and Somali institutions by late 2026.
Mogadishu has welcomed the change.
The foreign ministry said in a press release that the transition marked “significant progress” towards self-reliance, while Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi later launched UNTMIS in Mogadishu as a “pivotal step” towards a complete UN country-team model.
Some analysts see the process as a Somalia UNTMIS exit plan rather than a complete UN pullout.
UN agencies, funds, and programmes will remain after UNTMIS closes. However, more work is expected to move through development and humanitarian channels rather than through a political mission.
Local impact, national stakes
On the ground in Dhusamareb, the shift is far from abstract.
The new premises give Galmudug a high-specification facility for day-to-day administration and security planning.
The compound’s helicopter pad, perimeter security, and independent power supply provide a level of resilience that many Somali government offices still lack.
For the UN, handing the keys to Galmudug helps avoid leaving behind an empty “ghost base”.
It also sends a political signal that federal member states are expected to carry more responsibility as international missions slim down.
At the same time, outside experts warn that Somalia still leans heavily on external funding and technical expertise.
An EU Institute for Security Studies brief on the new African Union mission in Somalia described the country as “still fragile” and questioned whether state institutions can “fill the gap fast enough” as international support structures change.
What next for UNTMIS?
Swan used his Dhusamareb remarks to reassure local leaders that the handover does not mean the UN is walking away.
“Let me reaffirm that the United Nations will remain a partner to Galmudug through UNTMIS until its closure next year, and through UN agencies, funds, and programmes operating in Somalia,” he said.
Looking ahead, the exact shape of the UN footprint after October 2026 will depend on further talks between Mogadishu, the Security Council, and UN headquarters.
Diplomats expect greater focus on development, stabilisation, and institution-building, while African Union forces transition from the ATMIS peacekeeping mission to the planned AUSSOM support and stabilisation mission.
For now, the Dhusamareb facility stands as a concrete marker of that shift.
A compound built for a UN political mission now belongs to a Somali state government that wants to stand on its own feet more firmly, even as it continues to lean on outside partners.
