Somalia PM Warns Oil Reserves at Risk Without Strong Military

MOGADISHU, April 13, 2026 — Somalia’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre on Monday issued a stark warning that the country’s natural wealth, including its prospective oil reserves, could be vulnerable to outside pressure unless Somalia develops a military strong enough to protect it.

Barre, speaking in the context of shifting global power and rising rivalry over strategic resources, said the erosion of confidence in international institutions and the weakening of the traditional rules-based order have made resource competition more dangerous. In that environment, he argued, nations without real military capacity can lose control of their wealth to more powerful actors.

“A nation without a strong military to defend its faith, culture, and land has no dignity or existence; if the army collapses, the country collapses,” Barre said, adding that the strength of a national force is the clearest test of whether a country can endure.

The prime minister said safeguarding natural resources is no longer a matter of political rhetoric but a core issue of sovereignty, with oil increasingly drawing international attention. He urged Somalia to do more than speak about protecting its future and to instead secure both its territory and its economy.

Barre also appealed to the public to stay alert and back efforts to build up the national army, saying military development is the only credible route to protecting the country’s future and preserving its resources for the next generation.

AXADLETM