A Castle Douglas man ditched the glamour of Milan to become the UK’s new ambassador to Somalia.
And Mike Nithavrianakis has needed to use all of his diplomacy skills to get himself out of his daughter’s bad books after swapping the Italian fashion capital for his new post.
The 56-year-old dad of two has previously served the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in hazardous environments including Russia, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Dumfries-born Mike admitted: “For me it’s a dream job, but my daughter Lucy was not best pleased because it’s scuppered her big plans to visit Italy.
“The security situation in Somalia means that my family cannot accompany me and it’s only natural that they will worry about me being based in Mogadishu.
“I’ve had many postings which would not likely feature on anyone’s list of holiday destinations.
“I don’t know why but I have always found that the more challenging the environment, the more interesting, stimulating and rewarding the role tends to be.
“Nobody has ever forced me to go anywhere, and I feel lucky to have had the privilege of representing the UK in places as diverse and fascinating as Pakistan, Ghana and now Somalia.”
He added: “I joined the FCDO straight from school when I was 17.
“In those days, young diplomats tended to be sent to cut their teeth in places like Paris, Brussels and Bonn, and I remember pleading with HR, ‘Look, I didn’t join the Foreign Office to go to Germany, France or Belgium. Send me somewhere off the beaten track, please’.
“So, they posted me to Malaysia, which was great, as at that time, I didn’t even know where Kuala Lumpur was.
“I enjoy working in places that are culturally very different to the UK, where there is so much to learn and immerse yourself in.”
The risks faced by diplomats serving in conflict-affected states has been underlined by the violence that has erupted in nearby Sudan.
The UK has completed the largest and longest emergency evacuation of any Western nation – pulling out more than 2,450 people on 30 flights after fighting broke out killing more than 500 people.
Somalia faces serious security problems with Islamist terror group al-Shabaab carrying out frequent attacks in the capital Mogadishu.
An attack outside the Ministry of Education on October 29 last year killed more than 100 civilians and injured 300.
The UK is supporting Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud after he launched a campaign to defeat the terrorist organisation.
Mike, who will lead more than 80 staff in Somalia, said: “Last year’s al-Shabaab attacks mean I’m under no illusion about the dangers.
“I’ll have to get used to frequent road trips wearing body armour, which is cumbersome, but an important safety protocol.
“Despite the challenges, the job will be fascinating, as I focus on delivering UK counter-terrorism, stabilisation and humanitarian goals.
“Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has made it his number one priority in his first year in power to eliminate al-Shebaab and the international community are supporting him – ensuring the group are degraded and upstream threats to the UK reduced.
“Another key priority is the development, humanitarian and climate change work. There are hundreds of thousands of Somalis displaced by fighting and droughts, facing severe food insecurity.”
Mike has been no stranger to working in hazardous environments in a career that has spanned almost 40 years.
He’s previously served as Deputy Head of Mission in Kabul, and as a counter-terrorism specialist was deployed to many major incidents involving British nationals, including the bombing of the UK Consulate-General in Istanbul in 2003, the 2004 tsunami, and the 2004 kidnapping and murder in Iraq of Ken Bigley by Islamic extremists.
He said: “There were plenty of mortar attacks on the Green Zone and situations where visits were curtailed because of a nearby security threat when I was in Kabul in 2019.
“Luckily, there’s no-one directly shot at me.
“My closest shave was in Baghdad when I was the crisis manager deployed to lead on the Ken Bigley kidnapping case.
“I vividly remember being on a call during a mortar attack, which landed very near the embassy.
“I was crouched under the table with a computer, a telephone and the sound of explosions going off during a briefing to senior officials in London.
“They ordered me to get off to the safe room.
“Sadly, the Ken Bigley case ended tragically.
“It was a high-pressure period because we knew the barbaric nature of the people who were holding him.”
Mike added: “Another harrowing deployment that lives with me was being sent to Sri Lanka in the immediate aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.
“I was on the ground in Colombo 36 hours after the disaster and it was dreadful.
“My kids were eight and four at the time, so it was heartbreaking to deal with families turning up who had lost their kids.
“I was assisting UK police identification experts, who were just fantastic.
“It was tough work. The mortuaries were overflowing. It was like scenes from a horror movie, but your professionalism and training kicks in.”
Mike told the News the support of wife Libby and his family plus running helps him handle the stress.
He recently ran his second London Marathon and has now raised more than £250,000 for The Citizen’s Foundation in Pakistan.
“Our diplomats are proud to fly the flag for the UK in every hazardous corner of the world.”
