Thursday February 20, 2025
Charles Nicholas King, newly appointed UK Ambassador to Somalia, set to assume office in May 2025. (Credit: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office)
Mogadishu (HOL) — The United Kingdom has appointed Charles Nicholas King as its new ambassador to Somalia, replacing Michael Nithavrianakis, the British government announced on Wednesday. King is set to assume his post in May 2025.
A career diplomat, King has served in the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) since 2004, holding key positions across multiple regions. Most recently, he was the Joint Head of the Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) Gaza Taskforce (2023–2024), overseeing diplomatic responses to regional instability. From 2020 to 2023, he served as Head of the Levant and North Africa Department and the UK Special Representative for Syria, shaping British policy in the Middle East.
King has also held diplomatic postings as Counsellor for Foreign Policy and Strategic Affairs in Paris (2017–2020), Deputy Head of the Political Section in Baghdad (2009–2010), Head of the Syria Office in Istanbul (2012–2015), and Second Secretary for Political and Economic Affairs in Damascus (2008–2009). He also served as Chief of Staff to Jonathan Powell, the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Libya (2015–2016).
His appointment comes as Somalia continues to combat security threats from al-Shabaab while implementing major governance reforms.
