FILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, file photo, Nicholas Haysom, then the top UN envoy in Afghanistan, speaks during a press conference in Kabul. Somalia's government on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019 ordered Nicholas Haysom, the United Nations envoy to Somalia, to leave amid questions over the arrest of the al-Shabab extremist group's former deputy leader Mukhtar Robow who had run for a regional presidency. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini, File)
UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Security Council is expressing regret at Somalia's decision to expel a U.N. envoy who questioned the arrest of an extremist group defector-turned-political candidate.
The council issued a statement Saturday, a day after a closed-door discussion about Somalia's move to kick Nicholas Haysom out.
The statement conveys gratitude to the longtime U.N. official. It also notes the international community's support for Somalia's efforts to rebuild peace and stability — and the council's "expectation of full cooperation between Somalia and the United Nations."
Although opposed to Haysom's expulsion, the world body said it would replace him so the U.N. can function in the Horn of Africa nation.
Somali officials say Haysom meddled in their internal matters when he raised concerns about the basis for the arrest of Mukhtar Robow.
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