By Jamal Mohamoud

Somalia stands on the brink of collapse as corruption, misgovernance, and unrelenting insecurity ravage the nation. Under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) is engulfed in systemic corruption, weaponizing international aid meant for the Federal Member States (FMS) while withholding critical development funds. Al-Shabaab and ISIS continue their deadly campaigns, a demoralized national army is ill-equipped and fragmented, and clan warfare persists with no end in sight. Meanwhile, climate change has deepened the crisis, displacing 4.7 million Somalis and pushing nearly 4.4 million toward starvation by mid-2025, according to UN reports.

Amid this devastation, government officials turn a blind eye as corruption thrives. In the scorching heat of Mogadishu’s Bakara Market, desperation fuels an illicit economy. Ahmed Yusuf, a vendor, sells sacks of grain marked with faded UN logos—rations meant for starving families in drought-stricken regions. “Business is good,” he smirks, pointing to stacks of stolen medicine and USAID-branded cooking oil. Nearby, a gaunt mother sifts through garbage, searching for scraps to feed her children. This is the grim reality of Somalia in 2025: a nation where survival is a trade, aid is looted, and the country’s leaders jet off to international summits with no agenda while their people perish in silence. These politicians embark on meaningless travels, attending conferences and low level meetings that yield no tangible outcomes or solutions for the crises at home, while squandering limited resources on trips that serve more as displays of status than as genuine efforts to address the nation’s dire needs.

A Government Mired in Corruption and Neglect

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration has been widely accused of weaponizing international development funds meant to support the FMS. Rather than distributing aid equitably, the FGS has used it as a political tool to pressure regional governments into submission. This has led to growing frustration among the FMS, particularly Puntland and Jubaland, both of which have severed ties with the central government over its failure to uphold fair governance.

Adding to the corruption, it is common to see foodstuffs and other aid items meant for displaced people being sold in markets instead of reaching those in need. This blatant misappropriation of humanitarian assistance further underscores the dysfunction and self-serving nature of the government.

The President recently declared his support for Puntland’s campaign to eradicate ISIS. However, these empty words ring hollow given that he has withheld Puntland’s development funds for four years. If he truly meant what he said, he would release the funds he has withheld, provide Puntland with weapons, ammunition, and NSA battalions as a goodwill gesture. Instead, his statement is yet another example of political posturing with no tangible action.

To make matters worse, the President frequently travels abroad, attending summits that could easily be handled by ministers or even director generals. His habitual absence has left the country leaderless, exacerbating its problems at a time when strong leadership is desperately needed.

Weaponizing Civil Aviation and Aid

One of the most alarming strategies employed by the FGS is its use of civil aviation to control and punish dissenting regions. Recently, the federal government barred civilian planes from traveling to certain areas in Jubaland, effectively isolating communities already struggling with insecurity and famine. This blatant political maneuvering has further deepened divisions within the country and left millions of citizens feeling abandoned.

In a dimly lit warehouse near the port of Mogadishu, foreign-donated rice and tarps gather dust, guarded by soldiers loyal to Mogadishu. “This is how they break us,” whispers a disillusioned aid coordinator, fearing reprisal for speaking out. “No region gets aid unless it kneels.” The tactic has backfired spectacularly. In Jubaland, where flights were banned to punish dissent, clans now stand shoulder to shoulder with their president. “The FGS calls us traitors,” says elder Mohamed Adan, “but they sold us first.”

Even the UN’s $1.43 billion humanitarian appeal reads like fiction. In Baidoa’s sprawling IDP camps, families clutch empty ration cards. “They took our fingerprints, then vanished,” says Fartun Abdi, cradling a skeletal toddler. Over 1.7 million Somali children will face acute malnutrition by 2025, yet global donations have dwindled. “Donor fatigue,” laments a UN official. “And donor distrust.”

An Army in Decline and Endless Security Threats

The Somali National Army’s crumbling legitimacy is etched into the sunbaked trenches of Middle Shabelle, where soldiers recount promotion based on clan rather than merit and nights ambushed by their own stolen weapons. In May 2024, Al-Shabaab fighters overran a key SNA base in Galmudug, seizing U.S.-donated Humvees and mortars left behind by fleeing troops. “They stripped our barracks like vultures,” said Corporal Ahmed Ali, whose unit now sleeps in shifts, terrified of another raid.

Meanwhile, Mogadishu’s state media clings to a facade of control. In June, after a suicide bomber killed 18 civilians near the presidential palace, state TV aired recycled footage of troops parading in formation—a clip fact-checkers traced to a 2021 training exercise. “They edit the war like a film, cutting the blood and screams,” said journalist Fardowsa Ahmed, who fled Somalia after exposing inflated casualty reports.

At a military base outside Beledweyne, Captain Farah Hassan opens a rusted storage locker to reveal the Somali National Army’s “arsenal”: a stack of AK-47s from the 1980s, their barrels warped by heat. “Al-Shabaab has drones,” he mutters. “We have ghosts.” The SNA, once buoyed by U.S. support, now unravels as logistics vanish and weapons “disappear” to militants. Last week, Hassan’s unit ambushed Al-Shabaab—only to find their own U.S.-donated M4 rifles in the rebels’ hands. “Our leaders eat steak while we eat bullets,” he says.

Al-Shabaab, far from retreating, now imposes taxes on villages within 20 miles of the capital—a noose tightening around Mogadishu’s neck. In a brazen display of power, the group recently staged a masquerade checkpoint on the road to Afgoye, a town just 18 miles from the city center, flaunting SNA uniforms looted from dead soldiers. “They mock us,” said a senior security advisor, speaking anonymously. “Our failures arm them.”

The Somali National Army (SNA), which should be the backbone of national security, is demoralized and poorly equipped. While arms intended for national defense frequently end up in the hands of Al-Shabaab and other militant groups, extremist factions continue to thrive, controlling vast territories and launching deadly attacks with impunity.

Al-Shabaab have taken advantage of the government’s dysfunction, expanding their operations across the country. The capital, Mogadishu, remains vulnerable to frequent bombings and assassinations while large swaths of the countryside are under militant control. Meanwhile, the government continues to tout military victories that exist only on paper, offering little reassurance to the public.

Clan warfare has become a permanent fixture in Somalia, with conflict erupting across multiple regions. The absence of effective governance has allowed long-standing feuds to fester, often leading to deadly clashes. Instead of fostering reconciliation, the FGS has been accused of exacerbating tensions by favoring certain clans over others, further deepening the divisions.

Opposition parties have strongly condemned the government’s handling of national affairs, pointing to rampant corruption, neglect, and political manipulation as major obstacles to stability. Many accuse President Hassan Sheikh of prioritizing his personal political survival over the well-being of the nation, a sentiment echoed by growing numbers of disillusioned citizens.

Climate Change and Worsening Humanitarian Crisis

Somalia is also facing with a worsening humanitarian crisis fueled by climate change. Drought, erratic rainfall, and conflict have devastated livelihoods, displacing 4.7 million Somalis. Nearly 4.4 million people face severe hunger by June 2025, an increase of one million from current levels, according to a UN-backed report. The UN estimates that 1.7 million children under five will suffer from acute malnutrition, with 466,000 experiencing severe cases.

“Drought, erratic rainfall, and conflict are devastating livelihoods,” said FAO’s Somalia representative, Etienne Peterschmitt. Despite the urgent need for aid, a $1.43 billion UN appeal seeks to assist only 4.6 million Somalis due to funding shortages, leaving millions without support.

A Nation on the Brink

With a failing economy, rising insecurity, worsening climate disasters, and a government more focused on consolidating power than serving its people, Somalia is at a crossroads. If immediate reforms are not enacted, the country risks further disintegration, leaving its people to suffer the consequences of a leadership that has lost touch with reality.

The time for change is now. Somalia needs a government that prioritizes its citizens over personal and political gains, one that works toward unity rather than division. Without urgent intervention, the country will continue its downward spiral, with dire consequences for its future. Somalia’s story is no longer just about survival. It’s about who will stop the thieves before there’s nothing left to steal.

Jamal Mohamoud
Email: Jmohamoud702@gmail.com