Mogadishu (WDN) – The Federal Government of Somalia has received 300 Somali troops trained in Qatar; in what appears to be a last-ditch effort to salvage a collapsing military campaign against Al-Shabaab.

The troops arrived in the capital to reportedly reinforce the government’s operations in critical regions like Lower and Middle Shabelle—provinces that have seen the steady advance of Al-Shabaab as federal troops withdraw without resistance, ceding district after district.

This new batch of soldiers trained in Doha joins a long list of units previously trained by foreign allies including Turkey, the United States, Eritrea, Uganda, and the UAE. But the track record is grim: thousands of those troops were killed in battle, fled, or went AWOL in the face of Al-Shabaab’s resurgence. Many never even reached the front lines.

Military insiders and analysts argue that the Qatari-trained forces, despite their preparation, are unlikely to withstand the current battlefield reality, where the morale among government troops has hit rock bottom. “These men wouldn’t last half a day at the front,” one security expert in Mogadishu told WDN, citing cases where soldiers abandoned positions without firing a shot. “The tide is not turning. It’s already turned.”

The government, desperate to show momentum, is counting on fresh deployments to reverse losses, but observers say the political leadership is out of touch with the military’s actual capacity. Even Somali officers now admit privately that troops have no will to fight—and that those still deployed are spread too thin, underpaid, and under-equipped.

Unconfirmed reports suggest these new soldiers may be sent directly to frontline districts bordering Mogadishu. But given the state of the Somali National Army and its allied forces, it’s unclear if the new arrivals will make any tangible difference or simply be added to the mounting toll of failed military initiatives.

Ironically, this deployment coincides with Qatar preparing to host an international donors’ conference aimed at raising funds for the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). Critics argue that donor fatigue is setting in as repeated injections of cash and troops have yielded little beyond short-term optics.

The Somali government may continue to request reinforcements and funding, but the fundamental issues—broken morale, fragmented command, political meddling, and a resilient enemy—remain untouched. For now, the return of these 300 troops looks less like a strategic turning point and more like a symbol of a government grasping at straws.

WardheerNews