The U.S. government maintains troops and agency personnel inside Somalia and spends large amounts of money on militias it controls, including those trained in Djibouti, Germany, and the United States. Somalia’s Ministry of Defence does not monitor or fully oversee these groups, and their purpose remains unclear.
The U.S. government maintains troops and agency personnel inside Somalia and spends large amounts of money on militias it controls, including those trained in Djibouti, Germany, and the United States. Somalia’s Ministry of Defence does not monitor or fully oversee these groups, and their purpose remains unclear.
Agencies like USAID, UNSOM, UNPOS, UNDP, the IMF, and the World Bank carry out political interference. All these organisations work together to implement political agendas—starting with influencing constitutional decisions and pressuring Somali leaders to accept choices that are not appropriate for African or Islamic contexts.
Economic development and political stability
A profound look into Somalia’s economic situation shows that major changes have occurred for several reasons. President Hassan Sheikh’s government has faced simultaneous challenges: fighting terrorist groups, dealing with droughts, pressure from Ethiopia regarding maritime issues, and the transitional shift in USAID service delivery. All these factors combined have shaped the country’s economic landscape.
What actions has the National Intelligence Agency taken against terrorists who used to collect money freely?
Despite this, President Hassan Sheikh focused on appointing a prime minister and forming a government capable of rescuing both the nation and its people. Prime Minister Hamza quickly began implementing solutions to major national issues. They successfully addressed several major challenges, including weakening illegal financial networks.
The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) imposed strict restrictions on bank accounts belonging to senior terrorist leaders that held an estimated $1.5 to $2 billion—money that used to flow through Somali traders, UN agencies, and local organisations. Solving these issues significantly contributed to Somalia’s current economic growth, which has risen to 4.6%, according to IMF and World Bank reports.
Somalia has gained massive revenue from tourism. https://mof.gov.so/
Somalia has also made a lot of money from tourism. In 2025, about 25,000 tourists came to the country. This growth has raised the country’s income.
President Hassan Sheikh established several new taxes. The VAT is one of them, and it is 5%. The government has informed people that paying VAT is now mandatory. There were already other kinds of taxes, but VAT was a new one.
When the government first implemented VAT, people expressed concern. It’s been a year, and the public seems to have adjusted. The money that the Federal Government of Somalia gets from VAT has strengthened it financially.
There have been no delays in pay for government workers. People get paid on time, usually between the 24th and the 1st of each month. Several government agencies have now reached their full potential and are operational.
Somalia has also made a lot of money from tourism. In 2025, about 25,000 tourists came to the country. This growth has raised the country’s income.
President Hassan Sheikh’s government put in place several new taxes. The VAT is one of them, and it is 5%. People have been told that paying VAT is now required. There were already other kinds of taxes, but VAT was a new one.
When VAT was first put in place, people were worried. It’s been a year, and the public seems to have adjusted. The money that the Federal Government of Somalia gets from VAT has strengthened it financially.
There have been no delays in pay for government workers. People get paid on time, usually between the 24th and the 1st of each month. Several government offices are also now fully open for business.
Including:
- The National Identification Authority
- The National Data Storage Agency
- The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments
- The Electoral Commission and others
All these institutions are maintained with revenues reaching millions of dollars.
suspension of USAID operations under the Trump administration
In 2023, USAID received a budget of 1.18 billion US dollars. The agency planned to use these funds to support Somalia.
The allocation of these large funds was as follows:
- Social support programmes: 25%.
- Counter-terrorism (Al-Shabaab) support: 40%
- Misappropriated funds: 25%
- Operational expenses: 10%
Evidence confirming these figures comes from relevant agencies that conducted extensive investigations and verification, providing clear documentation attached to this report.
A high-ranking official from the agency told the US Congress in a direct interview that USAID had given Al-Shabaab and Hamas a total of $2.1 billion in financial aid. Of this, approximately 1 billion USD went directly to Al-Shabaab.
The official clarified that Al-Shabaab often received these funds in cash, bypassing official assistance channels. Other government programmes received some aid, but these groups reportedly received a significant portion of the funds directly.
The total sum involved amounts to approximately 2.2 billion USD.
Do you think Trump and his administration suspended USAID because of these scandals and others like them? The simple answer is no.
The official reports never mentioned any of these accusations. Instead, it was repeatedly mentioned that USAID was suspended due to the huge amounts of money it was spending—funds that came from American taxpayers.
What was USAID expecting in return for the aid it provided, and how did it benefit the United States?
- Gender laws
- Family laws
- Women’s empowerment
- Governance reforms
- This is just one example among many.
If you rejected even one of these conditions, and your issue reached the U.S. president, you would know that your country had reached a dangerous point. This is because the EU, UK, USA, IMF, and World Bank could impose major sanctions on you.
A clear example is what happened during John Paden’s presidency: the government of Uganda rejected the gender law, and as a result, the USA cut off many USAID-funded projects, while the World Bank and IMF refused the loans Uganda had requested.
There is no current economic decline or existing shortages, because it is evident that Somalia’s economy has made a major leap forward. This indicates that it has reached an unprecedented level of 100% growth at 4.6%, as confirmed on the official page of Somalia’s Ministry of Finance (mof.gov.so).
It is astonishing that USAID spent $1.6 billion on the Somali government, while terrorist groups spent $2.1 billion.
Somalia’s national budget for 2025–2026 is $1.3 billion. How can this future Somali generation be told that this massive amount of donated money did not result in any meaningful, tangible, or lasting development and that it was misused in the name of the Somali people? How can we express our gratitude to American donors when their charity has not yielded any visible or sustainable progress?
Is it true that the relationship between the U.S. and the Al-Shabaab terrorist group is still alive?
Yes, it is still alive, because USAID is not simply a humanitarian agency. As stated on USAID’s own website, it is a general U.S. government agency, and its humanitarian branch is what they call the “USAID Humanitarian Agency”. This suggests that the organisation functions within the broader U.S. government framework and is often perceived as having close ties to the CIA.
Trump and his team are facing major political waves coming from the side of the Democrats, and on the table have resurfaced the Epstein scandal files.
President Trump is a very intelligent man and has enormous wealth; he understands how to influence the American public.
During the first year of his re-election campaign, he launched attacks against his allies, imposing pressure on them from every direction. This was a strategy to show the Arab nations that he favours no one and only seeks money. The plan worked, and he secured trillions of dollars from them. He also continually insulted American media figures, and now they are at a point where they follow him and ask him questions the way he wants.
Conclusion
Somali communities in Minneapolis are known for their energy, work ethic, creativity, and strong community life. Mistakes and misunderstandings can happen anywhere that a community lives together, but there is nothing unique or extreme that singles out Somalis. In fact, they remain people who constantly seek solutions and who cooperate with their local police.
