Washington Post

The United States needs to stay in the fight against al-Shabab to secure global trade.

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The al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militant group al-Shabab, which operates in Somalia, remains one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations active today. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, 69, is serving his second term as president. His presidency has been defined by the struggle against these terrorists. Up until now, the United States has been contributing significantly to this fight, with both money and troops.

The Post’s Lally Weymouth spoke with Mohamud on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Excerpts:

Lally Weymouth: What do you hope your country’s relationship will be with the new Trump administration?

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud: We always have a very good relationship with the United States. We don’t know what the new leadership will come up with, but we do not expect something bad. Some people around President Donald Trump want him to recognize Somaliland [an autonomous part of Somalia that has governed itself since 1991] as an independent country.

Yes, we do. Somalia is one. It became an independent state in 1960. Somaliland was a British protectorate. The southern part of Somalia was an Italian colony. In 1960, both sides became independent and became the Somali Republic. Then the civil war occurred in 1991 and Somaliland seceded in that year from Somalia.

Although Somaliland has functioned as an autonomous region and has had elections, the other African states oppose its recognition presumably because they fear that it might lead to parts of their own countries breaking away. Is that the real argument against recognition?

If the borders of Africa are changed and new borders are developed, that is going to be a very serious problem. Yes, they have had elections in Somaliland, but elections are not, in my view, the criteria for secession.

When you came to office, you said one of your main aims was to defeat al-Shabab. How do you think the fight is going?

We have been fighting al-Shabab for the past 18 years militarily. We also fight al-Shabab with money and financial restrictions. Of course, al-Shabab is not completely defeated, but we have pushed and degraded them considerably and that was done by our own forces. Today, we are in control of hundreds of kilometers where al-Shabab dominated for years.

But the fight against al-Shabab is still difficult.

It’s difficult because we have a limited capability. After two years of continuous war, we have some level of fatigue. But we are reorganizing our forces now and there is a new campaign going on as I speak to you.

You’ve really made progress?

The United States is supporting us in intelligence gathering, logistical support, aerial support, surveillance, and sometimes even preempting certain attacks of al-Shabab on our forces. However, there are no American soldiers fighting on the ground.

To the American public, how would you explain why it is important to invest in the fight against this terrorist group in such a faraway country?

Al-Shabab is linked with al-Qaeda. And they have an international, global agenda.

But why should the United States help Somalia?

Because of our fight against al-Shabab, these terrorists don’t have the chance to run their networks in Europe and America. Before they had suicide bombers in London and in many other parts of Europe. Americans have preempted some strikes that al-Shabab was organizing within America. So al-Shabab is not a threat to Somalia only. That’s the reason America is supporting us.

In 2023, the United States gave your country approximately $1 billion in military and humanitarian aid, am I correct?

Not all in security assistance, much of this money was humanitarian.

Could al-Shabab impact the shipping lanes?

Yes. A more stable and secure Somalia will help secure the global trade routes.

Another threat to the region and to shipping are the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Al-Shabab and the Houthis have a very good relationship. They are exchanging weapons and training.

President Trump pulled U.S. troops out of Somalia during his first term and then President Joe Biden sent them back in 2022. What happens if President Trump pulls them out again?

What we ask of President Trump is not to pull out the American advisers and consultants who are supporting the training of our special forces. Indeed, we are requesting that the United States increase the number so that we can eliminate al-Shabab while President Trump is in office.

Can you degrade al-Shabab further without the United States? President Trump seems uninterested in overseas engagements, like the one in Ukraine.

This is different. Ukraine is a war between two countries. But fighting terrorist groups, which have no international link, is different. We need support. President Trump is a man of action. He does what he says. We hope that he will look at Somalia.

Will you go meet him?

That would be ideal. I would give him a good picture of Somalia. Americans are shaped by movies like “Black Hawk Down” or “Captain Phillips.” These are indicators that Somalia is a bad place, but Somalia isn’t a bad place.

What do you want your legacy to be?

We want a Somalia free from al-Shabab, we want Somalia to be a democratic country and a long-term partner of the United States.