The Oslo Center Foundation hosted United Nations Special Representative and Head of the UN Political Office for Somalia at the University of Minnesota Law School

During a visit to the Twin Cities to discuss the situation in Somalia with the Minnesota Somali Diaspora, UN Special Representative to the Secretary General (SRSG) and Head of the UN Political Office for Somalia, Augustine P. Mahiga stressed that “Somalia has arrived at a convergence, opportunities are evident but we have to concurrently deal with the challenges.” SRSG Mahiga spoke about the current work of the UN and his office regarding the recently signed Kampala Accord and the Road Map agreement which outlines steps needed to transition from the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to a permanent democratic system of governing.

Brandon Baumbach shares his experience

Brandon Baumbach, an intern for the Oslo Center Foundation and a master's student at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, has been studying at the University of Oslo and interning at the U.S. Embassy in Norway this summer. A block away, at the U.S. Embassy when the blasts hit the Oslo government building, Baumbach felt the reverberations of the bomb and has been living through the experience with the rest of Norway. "A lot of people are feeling the shock of what has happened and just taking it in. Because it really is that unbelievable. It's Norway. Right?" Baumbach said.