Nine Somali Delegates Missing After Kosovo Visit

Kosovo's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora has asked the Somali federal government to help locate nine members of an official Somali delegation who went missing after leaving their accommodation near Pristina. The nine delegates, part of a group led by Somalia's then-State Minister for Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing, Said Mohamed Mohamud, and then-Deputy Minister of Ports and Marine Transport, Fartun Abdikadir Farah, left their accommodation at Dua Village at approximately 7:10 p.m. on October 27.

The disappearance was discovered on October 28 when Kosovo's State Protocol Office prepared transportation for the delegation to Pristina International Airport, where the nine failed to appear at the VIP terminal. Preliminary inquiries suggested the individuals had left the accommodation independently and might have traveled elsewhere, but authorities had no confirmed information about their location or whether they had left Kosovo.

The diplomatic note from Kosovo's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora expressed serious concern regarding the lack of information about the whereabouts of the nine members of the Somali delegation. The ministry also raised concerns about the safety and well-being of the individuals, whose circumstances remain unclear. Kosovo urged Somalia to treat the matter as a priority and provide information that could help establish the delegates' whereabouts and confirm their safety.

The Somali delegation arrived in Kosovo on October 25 aboard a Turkish Airlines flight at approximately 7:45 p.m. Both senior officials, Mohamud and Farah, departed Kosovo on October 28, with Mohamud leaving in the early hours and Farah later that evening. Attempts to obtain information about the missing delegates through senior members of the Somali delegation had not produced any answers.

The case has drawn attention to the circumstances surrounding the official visit and the composition of the Somali delegation. On November 4, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre dismissed Mohamud and Farah from their government positions. The Prime Minister's Office did not publicly explain the reasons for their removal, and no official evidence has established a connection between the dismissals and the disappearance of the nine delegation members.

Somalia's federal government has not publicly provided a detailed explanation of the incident or confirmed whether it has established contact with the individuals. It remains unclear whether the nine delegates are still in Kosovo, have traveled elsewhere, or have sought to remain outside Somalia. Kosovo's Foreign Ministry has requested urgent cooperation from Somali authorities to clarify the circumstances of their departure and establish their safety.

The incident has raised concerns about the safety and well-being of the nine individuals, and the need for urgent action to locate them. The situation is being closely monitored, and efforts are being made to establish contact with the missing delegates.

Key points

• The nine Somali delegates were last seen leaving their accommodation near Pristina on October 27.
• Kosovo's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora has requested help from the Somali federal government to locate the missing delegates.
• The incident has raised concerns about the safety and well-being of the nine individuals.