Somalia’s president presses for unity and service delivery as security gains remain fragile
MOGADISHU — PresidentHassan Sheikh Mohamudused this week’s cabinet meeting to argue that Somalia’s fragile recovery from years of conflict must now be matched by faster, tangible improvements in everyday life — from clinics and schools to the courts that citizens rely on. In a country where authority is often contested and public trust thin, Mohamud sought to recast progress not as military achievement alone but as a test of governance.
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“We need greater cooperation, transparency and accountability,” the presidency said in a summary of the meeting. Ministers reported advances on several fronts — including what officials described as significant blows to the al‑Shabab insurgency and expanded training and equipping of Somalia’s security forces — but the tone of the session was unmistakably political: concentrate on building institutions that deliver for ordinary Somalis, not just on battlefield gains.
Security progress — and the limits of military success
Government officials have been eager to highlight security milestones. In recent months Somalia’s forces, with international training and logistics support, have retaken towns and disrupted al‑Shabab networks in parts of the country. For the presidency, this is the enabling condition for a broader state‑building push: without security, schools stay closed and clinics go unstaffed.
Yet analysts caution against overstating those gains. “Tactical wins don’t yet amount to strategic control,” said a Mogadishu‑based security analyst who asked not to be named for safety reasons. “Al‑Shabab adapts; it retreats and melts into communities when pressure rises, then resurfaces.”
That dynamic has implications for policymaking. Military operations can create the space to rebuild schools and health posts, but long‑term stability depends on local governance, clan reconciliation and services that citizens actually experience. The cabinet’s push to channel increased budget spending to health and education is aimed at translating security into legitimacy.
Budget choices signal priorities — and constraints
At the meeting ministers reviewed a draft 2026 national budget that reportedly prioritizes health, education and key social services. For a state that has long relied on donor aid and whose tax base remains narrow, that is an ambitious reorientation.
Somalia faces familiar fiscal tensions: expanding public services costs money, but donors have conditioned support on reforms and measurable steps toward financial transparency. The presidency’s emphasis on accountability is partly an appeal to that international audience — and partly a response to domestic expectations. Somalis who lived through decades of war now ask practical questions: Will my child have a teacher? Will my mother be able to see a doctor? Will local disputes be settled without violence?
The answers will depend on both budget choices and the ability to collect revenue. Efforts to broaden tax collection, digitalize customs and curb corruption have shown some progress but remain incomplete. The government must balance sober fiscal management against the political imperative to show quick improvements in services.
Democratization, federal tensions and public trust
Mohamud’s plea for ministers to “actively support Somalia’s democratization efforts” places the cabinet at the center of a debate that has dominated Somali politics for years: how to hold inclusive, credible elections in a society shaped by clan dynamics and a federal system with powerful regional administrations.
Mohamud, who returned to the presidency in 2022 after a previous term, has worked with federal member states to stabilize the country but faces persistent mistrust from some regional leaders. That mistrust complicates everything from revenue sharing to recruitment for national security forces.
“Public trust is the currency of state‑building,” said an international governance adviser in Mogadishu. “Without credible local institutions, national reforms are brittle.”
What this means for ordinary Somalis — and for the world
Beyond politics and budgets, the cabinet’s priorities touch on lived realities. Humanitarian needs remain acute in many parts of Somalia — drought, food insecurity and displacement have left millions vulnerable over the last decade — and improvements in health and education are urgent not only for development but for resilience against future shocks.
Investing in schools and clinics also carries a security logic: where the state provides services, extremist groups find it harder to recruit. This is a lesson seen across the Sahel and parts of the Horn of Africa, where governance deficits have created openings for violent non‑state actors.
For international partners, Somalia’s progress will be a test case for a broader question: how to support fragile states transitioning from long‑running conflict to a phase where governance and citizen expectations shape stability more than military force. Donor fatigue, competing global crises and shifting geopolitical interests mean that Mogadishu must show tangible results to sustain support.
What to watch next
- How the government moves from budget paper to public spending: will funds flow to clinics and schools in contested regions?
- Whether security gains hold outside major urban centers and whether local administrations are empowered to manage services.
- Progress on transparent revenue collection and whether international partners tie support to measurable anti‑corruption steps.
- The pace and credibility of democratization efforts, and whether national and regional leaders can negotiate dispute mechanisms that avoid electoral delays.
Somalia is at a delicate moment. The rhetoric of unity and accountability is welcome, but words must be followed by visible change in daily life. For citizens who have lived through cycles of hope and disappointment, the key question is simple and immediate: can the state turn its hard‑won security space into schools full of children and clinics where people can get treatment without long travel or bribes?
How Mogadishu answers that question will determine not only President Mohamud’s political standing but also whether Somalia’s fragile recovery can become something more enduring — a state that delivers, not just fights.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
