Somalia, situated on the Horn of Africa, continues to be one of the most dangerous terrorist havens in the world as the Islamic State and al Qaeda terrorist affiliates continue to kill and extort the nation’s population. In the latest figures, Human Rights Watch says hundreds were killed in 2024, either by jihadists or in conflict between the country’s clans and tribes.
Somalis face armed roadblocks in many areas, where terrorists or government troops extort money, and lawlessness and corruption occur on a daily basis.
President Donald Trump lashed out against Somalia again on Wednesday, saying, “It’s just a people walking around killing each other.” He added, “So Somalia is considered by many to be the worst country on Earth? I don’t know, … I haven’t been there. I won’t be there anytime soon. I hope.”
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The Trump administration, through U.S. Africa Command, has increased the number of airstrikes carried out against terrorists in Somalia more than tenfold so far this year, compared to missions carried out under President Biden in 2024. On Nov. 25, ISIS-Somalia terrorists were attacked in the Puntland region by U.S. and Somali forces reportedly using drones and ten MH-60 helicopters. On Nov. 28, U.S. forces struck al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab terrorists in the south of the country near Kismayo.
Somalia’s Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs states that more than 99% of the population is Sunni Muslim.
“Al-Shabab continues to hold significant territory in southern and central Somalia,” Bill Roggio told Fox News Digital. Roggio is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and editor of FDD’s Long War Journal. He added, “While the exact amount has not been disclosed, in 2019 the AFRICOM commander reported that Shabab controlled about 25% of Somalia. Security has worsened since then, and Shabab undoubtedly controls more ground than it did in 2019. In areas Shabab controls, it subjects civilians to taxes and its harsh version of Sharia, or Islamic law, and it recruits, indoctrinates and trains young men to wage jihad.”
But on the ground, Fox News Digital found life to be complicated. “In Somalia, it all depends on where you are,” Mogadishu resident Samatar Talliye told Fox News Digital. He added, “The country is big, and the experiences are very different. Mogadishu is relatively safe, and it is a big city with millions of people. Business is booming, the housing market is insane, and new projects are started every day.”
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Abdisamad Artan Ahmed, who also lives in Mogadishu, recently told Reuters, “We have seen and heard what the U.S. has said about Somalia on social media, but the truth is that Somalia is currently one of the safest countries in East Africa. Whether in Mogadishu or other regions, Somalia is secure and stable. This is the best and safest time for the country.”
But Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported there are still occasional terror attacks in the capital city. In August last year, HRW stated al-Shabab “attacked a beach restaurant, killing 37 civilians and injuring over 200.”
There are “tangible signs of improvement in aspects of daily life in Somalia, particularly in Mogadishu,” Anna Mahjar-Barducci, project director at the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) told Fox News Digital. “However, progress is uneven: rural and southern regions face ongoing al-Shabab threats.”
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“Violence and danger is mostly in places where the government has not reached,” Talliye said, adding there are “pockets in Jubaland, South West State, Hirshabbele and Galmadug. The state governments are weak and mostly only control a couple of the big towns, unlike Puntland and Somaliland that control the majority of their state.”
Mahjar-Barducci emphasized, “Overall safety remains precarious, with persistent al-Shabab attacks, displacement, and weak policing. These insights paint a picture of cautious normalcy in urban hubs contrasted with checkpoint-heavy, militant-influenced routines elsewhere.”
“Corruption is widespread in many government offices, and obtaining services often requires paying extra fees,” Mahjar-Barducci continued. “Bribery is common across various public services. In Somalia, authority is often concentrated in the hands of the governor, mayor or district officers, and, at times, anyone who is armed.”
Al-Shabab’s fundraising tentacles are a cancer growing in every area of Somali society. The European Union’s Agency for Asylum recently stated, “the U.N. Panel of experts on Somalia, in its latest report from 2024, indicates that al-Shabab’s overall financial income for 2023 exceeded $150 million.”
The report continues, “Among others, al-Shabab relies on the following sources of revenue: checkpoints, forced charitable or alms contributions, direct extortion of business, taxation of imports into ports, kidnappings for ransom, taxation of farm produce, livestock selling, water and irrigation resources, vehicles registration fees, operating licences fee, as well as property and business ventures in Somalia. Everything and anything is potentially a source of income.”
In Somalia, you don’t have to intentionally fund al-Shabab, it just happens. “Nobody has to ‘mean’ to fund al-Shabab,” former State Department counterterrorism analyst Tricia Bacon told Minnesota’s Kare 11 News on Nov. 26. “But that’s sort of the cost of doing business in Somalia, because the government has been so ineffective at protecting people from al-Shabab’s extortion that, you know, you don’t really have a choice of whether or not to pay.”
Talliye admitted, “Government corruption is visible and painful, but people are used to complete chaos.” Chaos that arguably started when civil war broke out in 1991. Fox News correspondent Eric Shawn was on assignment in Mogadishu the following year.
“The country was ruled by warlords,” he told Fox News Digital. “There was mass starvation and no government; it was ruled at the end of an AK-47.”
“There was gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades being launched every night. The country had devolved into anarchy and total uncertainty. There was no electricity, and basic human conditions were barbaric. The result was a horrific spectacle of a human catastrophe that was man-made and totally unnecessary and so unfortunate for the innocent civilians who had to endure a hardship that was beyond comprehension.”
For many Somalis, more than 30 years on, freedom is still only a dream. It means, Mahjar-Barducci said, “living without fear — being able to move freely, work safely, and care for their families. It includes safety from checkpoints and clan tensions, speaking openly, running a business without intimidation and sending children to school without worry. Western audiences often misunderstand Somalia as being entirely lawless or a failed state, overlooking the resilience of its people, strong community networks, and gradual improvements in security, governance, and business opportunities.”
Talliye reflected, “People are scared of al-Shabab, and the hope is the long and painful journey towards one man, one vote. People only believe things will change when politicians are held responsible by the people.”
