Somalia's government has requested the termination of a U.N. political mission that has advised it on peace-building, security reforms and democracy for over a decade, according to a letter the foreign minister wrote to the Security Council.

A UN-mandated African Union safekeeping mission is due to hand the country’s security over to the Somali state by the end of 2024

Somalia asked the United Nations’ political mission in the country to cease operations by October, even as the East African nation faces a brutal, long-running jihadist insurgency.

Somalia has officially written to the UN asking it to terminate the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) in the country. In a letter dated May 5, the country’s Foreign Affairs minister Ahmed Fiqi said the move follows thorough consideration of its strategic priorities.