Nine members of an official Somali delegation left their accommodation in Kosovo and did not appear for their scheduled return trip. The case has raised questions about how official visits are organized and supervised, and about the responsibilities of the institutions overseeing them.
The 11-member delegation arrived in Kosovo on October 25, 2026, and its visit was scheduled to end on October 28. It included the Minister of State for Public Works, Housing and Reconstruction, Said Mohamed Mohamud, and the Deputy Minister of Ports, Fartuun Abdikadir Farah.
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Information published in a diplomatic note from Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora shows that the nine members left the “Dua Village” complex near Pristina on October 27 at around 7:10 p.m. They did not notify the authorities responsible for accompanying the delegation.
Their departure was discovered on October 28 as preparations were being made to transfer the delegation to Pristina International Airport. The delegation’s two senior officials left Kosovo as scheduled, but the other nine members did not appear at the VIP terminal.
Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora formally contacted the Somali authorities in a diplomatic note dated October 30, 2026, bearing reference number 4868-561/26. It requests clarification about the whereabouts and safety of the nine people. According to the diplomatic communication, attempts to obtain information through the delegation’s representatives have yielded no concrete details. Kosovo’s authorities have no confirmation of whether the people are still in Kosovo or have left its territory.
Somalia’s authorities have not yet provided a full public explanation of what happened to them. On November 4, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre dismissed Said Mohamed Mohamud and Fartuun Abdikadir Farah from their respective posts, but the dismissals have not been directly linked to the incident in Kosovo.
Some Somali media outlets have raised suspicions that the nine people may have been included in the delegation to travel to Europe and seek asylum. These claims remain officially unconfirmed. Kosovo’s diplomatic note does not establish that they have sought asylum or entered any European Union country.
“Bota sot” newspaper asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora for comment but had received no response by the time the article was published. Political analyst Zejnullah Jakupi and former investigator Agim Rexhepi spoke to the newspaper. Both are calling for an investigation and an institutional explanation of how the delegation was organized, vetted and accompanied, while also noting the importance of preserving the EU’s trust and visa-free travel for Kosovo’s citizens.
Jakupi says that, without official information about the whereabouts of the nine members and the circumstances of their departure, it is impossible to conclude that the visit was used for irregular migration. Nevertheless, he says the way the delegation’s stay was managed raises reasonable questions and requires a full explanation.
The analyst describes visa liberalization as an important achievement in relations with the European Union and an expression of mutual trust. He believes any case that creates the impression that Kosovo could be used as a transit country for irregular migration to the EU must be taken seriously. A single incident, he explains, does not automatically put the visa-free regime at risk; repeated cases or systemic shortcomings, however, could affect European partners’ assessment.
Jakupi notes that the EU has a legal mechanism for temporarily suspending the visa-free regime when violations of the criteria, a significant increase in irregular migration, security problems or systemic shortcomings in relevant policies and procedures are identified. In his view, the responsibility of those who did not return should be distinguished from Kosovo’s responsibility for border management and control over the entry of third-country nationals.
He wants the institutions to explain how the delegation’s membership was approved and organized, what checks were carried out on its members, who was responsible for accompanying them and how nine of them were able to leave their accommodation without notifying the authorities. To that end, Jakupi proposes an investigation involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kosovo Police and other competent institutions. If negligence, procedural violations or specific failures of responsibility come to light, he says they should be addressed and those responsible held accountable.
According to Jakupi, clarifying the circumstances of the departure and establishing any responsibility are also necessary to avoid raising doubts about the seriousness of Kosovo’s institutions in meeting European standards. Maintaining visa-free travel, he says, depends not only on border controls but also on institutional credibility and the continued fulfillment of obligations to European partners.
Former investigator Agim Rexhepi is also calling for transparency, accountability and a full institutional explanation. Speaking to “Bota sot,” he raised concerns about the vetting of delegation members, coordination between institutions and the implementation of security procedures. He says Kosovo has invested heavily, politically and diplomatically, in gaining the EU’s trust and visa liberalization, and must therefore take seriously any situation that could create the impression that its territory serves as a transit point for irregular migration. He describes preserving that trust as a responsibility of the state, alongside the right citizens have gained to travel without visas.
Rexhepi emphasizes that a single case does not automatically put visa liberalization at risk or lead to its suspension. But if similar incidents recur and reveal systemic weaknesses in border control, delegation vetting or security procedures, they could cause serious concern in relations with European institutions. He notes that the EU can temporarily suspend the visa-free regime when the legal conditions are met and warns that institutional irregularities must not be allowed to become a problem for all citizens.
The former investigator wants to know who verified the nine people’s identities, status and official roles; which institutions coordinated and accompanied the delegation; whether procedures for official visits were followed; and whether the possibility that the trip could be used for purposes other than diplomacy was adequately assessed. He, too, stresses that no assumptions should be made about whether the people sought asylum or crossed into an EU country, because there is no official confirmation of either.
Rexhepi is calling for a full investigation to determine how the departure happened and whether there was negligence or a breach of procedures. He says the investigation should involve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Protocol Office, Kosovo Police and the security agencies. If responsibility is established, he says those concerned should be held accountable regardless of the positions they hold.
In conclusion, Rexhepi says any shortcomings by individuals or institutions should not harm Kosovo’s image or its citizens’ interests. The EU’s trust, he says, is built through work, responsibility and institutional standards, but can be undermined by negligence and a lack of accountability. He is seeking answers from the institutions, emphasizing citizens’ right to know the truth and the importance of ensuring that visa liberalization is not put at risk by irresponsibility in the performance of official duties.
