By Balal Cusman

The story of Somalia is not an abstract narrative to me, it is personal. It is the story of my people, from my personal experience, my heritage and the unbreakable thread that ties every Somali heart to the next, no matter how far across the world we may be scattered. I have spent my adult life watching a nation of extraordinary courage face unimaginable challenges, yet never losing the dignity and spirit that define it. And I remain deeply convinced, unshakably that sooner or later, Somalia will stand on its own feet.

For centuries, Somalis have confronted powerful empires with bravery that far outweighed in numbers. I grew up hearing the legends of Ahmed Gurey, who defied Abyssinians backed by the then global powers – Portugal – in the 15th century; of Sayid Mohamed Abdille Hassan, who challenged British colonial might for decades and of the Somali National Army in 1977, whose early victories reshaped how Africa and the world understood military discipline, strategy and national determination.

That 1977 chapter is deeply imprinted in Somali people’s collective memory. Somalia was not the stronger party, not in numbers, not in arms and not in alliances. Despite that the Soviet Union had helped Somalia build its armed forces during the Cold War, yet when the war broke out, its treachery became clear. Moscow abandoned Somalia overnight, throwing its full weight behind Ethiopia, airlifting Cuban troops, South Yemeni divisions, among others from the eastern bloc and unprecedented stockpiles of weapons. Somalia was suddenly fighting not one country, but a coalition backed by a world superpower. Yet Somali soldiers fought on with astonishing courage, driven not by material advantage but by belief in their homeland and protecting their dignity. Their performance remains one of the most remarkable demonstrations of Somali’s resolve in modern history.

The world saw that same spirit again during the events of “Black Hawk Down.” People focus on the helicopters, the technology or the international troops. But what struck many Somalis, was something else, even in chaos, even in statelessness, Somali people refused to bow to any force that tried to impose its will on them. That kind of spirit can be challenged, but it cannot be extinguished. So, when I reflect on Somalia’s suffering today, civil war, political breakdown, humanitarian crises, I know the problem is not the Somali spirit. It is not that Somalis have become weaker or less patriotic. The real wound comes from within – from the self-serving individuals who pretend as political leaders – politicians – while tearing at the country’s foundations.

I have seen these individuals up close, those who claim to serve the nation but serve only themselves. They are predictable in their behaviour – opportunistic, manipulative, quick to weaponize clan identity for personal advantage and willing to undermine institutions if doing so protects their own relevance. Their loyalty is not to Somalia, but to wealth, power and external patrons. Their politics is not nation-building, it is survivalism at the expense of national survival. These are the manipulators and collaborators of Somalia’s prolonged ordeal and history will not only remember them, it will judge them harshly.

Behind the scenes, they present themselves as loyal to their leader, harmless mediators, dealmakers who speak warmly to opposing camps, pretending to bridge divides while quietly deepening them. They offer comradeship to both sides, not out of goodwill, but to extract influence from their mistrust. Their goal is never reconciliation. It is to keep political actors apart, to exploit rivalries and to ensure that no unified leadership emerges strong enough to challenge their personal power. Their diplomacy is a performance, their loyalty is an illusion and their presence in the political space feeds instability rather than healing it. Their damage goes beyond political mismanagement. Their actions rip at the social fabric, prolonging conflict, enabling foreign interference, sabotaging national institutions and creating cycles of mistrust that make ordinary Somalis suffer. They feed on division, because unity would end their influence. And yet they misunderstand the Somali people profoundly. They forget that beneath all our political complexities lies something they cannot destroy – the unbreakable familial bond that connects Somalis everywhere.

This bond, rooted in kinship, ancestry, culture and shared experience is stronger than any political crisis. It survived colonisation, civil war and displacement. It kept families together in refugee camps, on dangerous sea crossings and across distant diasporas. It is why when a Somali suffers anywhere in the world, Somalis everywhere feel it. It is why, despite everything, our society has never shattered. This bond is the secret to Somalia’s resilience and the foundation of its future revival.

But for Somalia to rise, its people must recognize those manipulators and collaborators who stand in the way. The sooner we expose, those who manipulate clan loyalty for gain, those who sabotage governance to preserve their personal/group power and those who willingly place foreign agendas above Somali interests, the sooner our national healing will begin. Somalia cannot be held hostage by the ambitions of individuals/groups who benefit from the chaos. Our destiny is larger than their greed.

History offers comfort in moments of despair though. Germany, today one of the strongest nations in Europe and to some extent in the world, was once a patchwork of fighting fiefdoms, politically fragmented, externally vulnerable and internally divided, much like Somalia today. Its unification and eventual rise were not miracles, they were the result of time, resolve and a collective insistence on national purpose. Somalia, too, has the population cohesion, the cultural unity and the resources necessary to follow a similar path, from fragmentation to strength. What makes me certain of Somalia’s eventual rise is simple. Every time we have been underestimated; we have proven the world wrong. Our victories were never supposed to happen, yet they did. Our identity was never supposed to survive, yet it has. Our unity was never supposed to endure exile, yet it remains intact. And our hope tested, battered, stretched has never died.

Sooner or later, Somalia will stand on its own feet. Because Somalis come from a people who refuse to kneel in the face of power. Because their deepest wounds have never broken their spirit. And because the bond that ties Somalis to one another is older, stronger and more enduring than any crisis Somalis face today. Somalia’s story is not one of collapse. It is a story of extraordinary resilience waiting for its next chapter.

Balal Mohamed Cusman
Email: bcusman@gmail.com
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Balal is the former State Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Development of Somalia. X: @BalalCusman

References

1.     Lewis, I. M. (2002). A Modern History of the Somali: Nation and State in the Horn of Africa. Oxford: James Currey.

2.     Samatar, S. S. (1982). Oral Poetry and Somali Nationalism: The Case of Sayid Mohamed Abdille Hassan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

3.     Hess, R. L. (1966). Italian Colonialism in Somalia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

4.     Laitin, D. D. (1977). Politics, Language, and Thought: The Somali Experience. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

5.     United Nations Historical Archives. (n.d.). Somalia Records and Reports, 1960–1991. United Nations, New York.

6.     Declassified Soviet–Horn of Africa Cold War Records. (n.d.). Soviet Foreign Policy and Military Assistance in the Horn of Africa, 1969–1978. Moscow: Russian State Archive.