Letter from Mogadishu: Why UK ambassador Charles King remains in the high-threat Somalia capital

There aren’t many diplomatic postings where your 06.00 alarm can be replaced by the roar of an F-16 fighter jet but that is how most of my recent mornings in Mogadishu have begun. After this wake-up call, I have a two-minute walk from my armoured pod to the chancery – a stroll under Somalia’s intense sun that feels very different to what I experienced in my previous postings in Paris or Istanbul.

In 2013 the UK became one of the first Western countries to reopen an embassy in Somalia. I have been the British ambassador to Mogadishu for almost a year. We are based between the international airport and the sea. The view over the Indian Ocean helps to clear the mind but swimming is not encouraged because of lurking sharks. The embassy represents the full spectrum of the UK’s international activity, with diplomats, military colleagues and humanitarian experts.

Since opening, we have worked closely with successive Somali governments and international partners to address threats from terrorist groups such as Al-Shabaab and Islamic State, combat international piracy and alleviate human suffering. We work with the African Union’s peacekeeping mission and the UN’s logistical support. The sound of the large, white UN helicopters taking off or coming back from the front lines is a near-constant backdrop to our daily lives. There has been real progress but a lot of the gains remain fragile and Somalia is a tough environment in which to work. It is one of the UK diplomatic network’s highest-threat posts and so security for me and the team is the top priority. I have become used to hopping in and out of body armour and armoured vehicles. It’s not always the most comfortable way to work but it enables us to get out and about and do our jobs as diplomats. Mogadishu is our base but I travel around the country.

We also find time for more traditional diplomatic networking. Earlier this year we held a Burns Night celebration. There’s nothing like poetry and a ceilidh for bringing people together, even in a conflict zone. For a moment, I was sure that the Kenyan ambassador’s heart was in the Highlands. Building networks across the country and understanding how to support progress is why we’re here. That is something in the shared interests of Somalia, the UK and the wider international community. I just need to remember to hold on to my ear plugs.

Charles King is the UK ambassador to the Federal Republic of Somalia.