Lally Weymouth, Washington post, Reporter
President of Somalia: Trump must help defeat global terrorism
The United States needs to stay in the fight against al-Shabab to secure global trade.
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.
Do you oppose the recognition of Somaliland?
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?
We have The United States witnessed that. They were with us, They are our partner, 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.
Source: Washington post,
Lally Weymouth Washington post, Reporter
