MOGADISHU [SMN] – The recently appointed Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Somalia, Catriona Laing, arrived in Mogadishu on Monday.
Senior Officials from the Somali government led by the Minister of Information Da’ud Aweys welcomed her at Aden Adde International airport.
Catriona Laing thanked the government of Somalia for the warm welcome and said that she will inject new blood into the activities of the United Nations in this country.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 3 May 2023 the appointment of Catriona Laing as Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).
She succeeds James Swan of the United States, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedication and steadfast leadership of UNSOM during his four-year tenure.
Prior to this position, Laing served as British High Commissioner to Nigeria and the British Ambassador to Zimbabwe from 2014 until 2018.
Her arrival comes as Somalia faces a devastating drought never witnesses in 40 years that effected 8 million people following four years of failed rainy seasons.
