Loading article content...
Loading article content...
DOHA, 22 October 2026 — Somalia has retaken more than 55% of the territory once held by militants over the past five years, the government’s national security adviser said on Wednesday, adding that at least 1.5 million people had been freed from militant control.
Aweys Haji Yusuf Ahmed told the Global Security Forum in Doha that Somalia’s security environment was still shaped mainly by the threat from al Shabaab, which is affiliated with al Qaeda, and from Islamic State in Somalia.
He said the government’s efforts had cut militant financing by 35% and reduced attacks in major cities by about 89%. The figures could not be independently verified.
Ahmed said the two groups were part of a wider transnational jihadist network that sought to destroy regional and global stability and establish operational sanctuaries beyond Somalia’s borders.
Related articles
He said Somalia was committed to working with neighbouring countries on counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing, border security and combating transnational organised crime.
Ahmed also urged coordinated action on maritime security in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Hormuz, which he described as among the world’s most strategically important maritime corridors. He said Somalia would work with regional and international partners to protect freedom of navigation and stop militants exploiting the routes.
He also warned that any action that undermines a country’s sovereignty, unity or territorial integrity, including unilateral recognition arrangements that disregard the authority of a national government, risked setting a dangerous precedent and undermining regional stability. He did not name any country or region.