Fact-checked against IMF, World Bank, UN, EAC, and multiple independent sources. Last updated April 2026.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's second term has delivered genuine, verifiable, historic milestones. These are not small administrative wins — they are structural changes that alter Somalia's trajectory for decades. This article documents every major accomplishment, provides honest caveats where earned, and outlines the easy wins the next president inherits.
Summary Scorecard
| Accomplishment | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 🏦 $4.5 Billion Debt Relief (HIPC) | Dec 2023 | ✅ Completed |
| 🚫 UN Arms Embargo Lifted | Dec 2023 | ✅ Completed |
| 🌍 EAC Membership & EAC Passport | 2023–2026 | ✅ Completed |
| ⚖️ $1.14B US Debt Cancellation | 2024 | ✅ Completed |
| 🗳️ One-Person, One-Vote Election | 2024–2026 | ✅ Held peacefully in Mogadishu |
| 🪪 National ID System (NIRA) | 2025–2026 | 🔄 Expanding |
| ✈️ New Mogadishu Airport ($800M–$1B) | 2024–2030 | 🔄 Foundation laid June 2025 |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey 10-Year Defence Partnership | Feb 2024 | ✅ Completed |
| 🚀 Turkish Spaceport | 2024– | 🔄 Site allocated |
| 🛢️ Oil & Gas — Curad-1 Drilling | 2024–2026 | 🔄 Drilling begun 2026 |
| 🗺️ SSC-Khaatumo → North Eastern State | 2023–2025 | ✅ Completed |
| 🛡️ Air Force Reconstruction | 2023– | 🔄 Ongoing |
| 🌐 UN Security Council Seat | 2025 | ✅ Completed |
| 🏆 Mogadishu Port — #1 in East Africa | Sep 2025 | ✅ Completed |
| 🗺️ South West State — Federal Control | Mar 2026 | ✅ Completed |
| 🌍 Somaliland Recognition Isolated | Dec 2025 | ✅ Completed |
| 🏛️ Constitutional Amendments | Mar 2024 | ✅ Passed (disputed by some FMS) |
| 🏦 Financial System Reform | 2024–2027 | 🔄 In Progress |
1. 🏦 $4.5 Billion Debt Relief — HIPC Completion (December 2023)
The IMF and World Bank approved Somalia's HIPC Initiative Completion Point in December 2023, providing total debt service savings of $4.5 billion. Somalia's external debt fell from 64% of GDP in 2018 to less than 6% of GDP by end-2023.
The African Development Bank subsequently approved full cancellation of all African Development Fund loans to Somalia covering the 2024–2039 period, reducing Somalia's external debt by a further $17.68 million.
Impact on people: This is generational. Somalia had been locked out of international capital markets and development financing for decades. This unlocked the IMF, World Bank, and African Development Bank as active partners. IDA's portfolio in Somalia has since grown to $2.3 billion between grants and technical support — funding roads, schools, healthcare, and infrastructure that Somalis can feel on the ground. It also sent a clear signal to private investors that Somalia is creditworthy again.
2. 🚫 UN Arms Embargo Lifted — After 31 Years (December 2023)
Since December 2023, there are no restrictions on arms supplies to the Somali Government. An arms embargo on non-state forces continues. This ended 31 years of the world's longest-running weapons blockade.
Impact: Somalia can now legally procure weapons, military equipment, and build a national defence without requiring special exemptions for every purchase. It gave the Somali National Army the legal footing to modernise, and opened the door to formal, transparent defence partnerships. HSM and his Cabinet pushed hard for this from day one of his second term.
3. 🌍 EAC Membership & EAC Passport (2023–2026)
The EAC admitted Somalia at the Summit of Heads of State on November 24, 2023, and the country became a full member on March 4, 2024. Somalia received official authorisation to print the East African Community passport in December 2025.
The Somali passport's global ranking has improved from 111th place in 2021 to 96th — a 15-position rise. Somali citizens can now travel visa-free or obtain visas on arrival in nearly 40 countries.
Impact on people: This is transformative at the individual level. Somalis — students, businesspeople, families — gain access to a regional bloc of 331 million people. The EAC passport facilitates work, study, and trade across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and DRC. Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda already allow EAC citizens to travel using a national ID card as a travel document. The Somali passport, long one of the weakest in the world, is on an upward trajectory fast.
4. ⚖️ $1.14 Billion US Debt Cancellation (2024)
In addition to the HIPC package, the United States cancelled Somalia's $1.14 billion debt in 2024 — part of the broader $4.5 billion multilateral relief.
Impact: Cleared outstanding bilateral obligations to Somalia's most powerful security partner, normalising the financial relationship and opening doors to further US investment and cooperation.
5. 🗳️ One-Person, One-Vote — First Direct Election in Decades
Somalia's parliament passed a bill moving to universal suffrage — 169 lawmakers voted in favour, 2 against, 1 abstaining — replacing the complex indirect clan-based voting system. And it happened: in 2026, Somalia held its first direct, one-person-one-vote election in Mogadishu — the first time Somalis voted directly for their president in over 50 years, since before Siad Barre seized power in 1969.
The election took place peacefully, a historic milestone that demonstrated Somalia's democratic maturity to the world. After decades of indirect, clan-based selection processes, ordinary Somalis casting their own ballots for the presidency created a genuine popular mandate that no indirect election could ever provide.
Impact: This is not just symbolic. A directly elected president carries a mandate rooted in the will of the people — harder to delegitimise, harder to undermine, and a foundation for democratic accountability that compounds over time. The peaceful conduct of the vote proved the concept and set the template for future nationwide direct elections.
Honest caveat: Puntland and Jubaland had initially opposed the reforms and participation was not nationwide. But the peaceful Mogadishu vote proved the viability of direct elections in Somalia and set a powerful precedent.
6. 🪪 National ID System — NIRA
The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has expanded registration centres across Mogadishu, South West State (Baidoa), Hirshabelle (Jowhar), Galmudug (Dhuusamareeb), and SSC-Khaatumo (Laascaanood). From September 1, 2025, a valid national ID is required to apply for a passport. From January 1, 2026, it's required for domestic air travel.
Impact: A national ID system is the foundation of a modern state — it enables voter rolls, passport issuance, financial inclusion, social services targeting, and accurate population data. For the first time in a generation, Somalia is building a central registry of its people.
7. ✈️ New Mogadishu International Airport — $800M–$1B Mega Project
In December 2024, Somali authorities announced plans for a new airport at the El Maan site. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud officially laid the foundation stone on June 29, 2025. The $800 million facility is designed with two 4,000-metre parallel runways and scheduled for completion within five years.
Impact: Aden Adde currently handles over 200 flights per day — far beyond its designed capacity. The new airport will accommodate large commercial aircraft, support cargo logistics, and signal to international airlines that Mogadishu is open for business at scale. It's the single largest infrastructure investment in post-civil war Somalia.
8. 🇹🇷 Turkey–Somalia 10-Year Defence & Economic Partnership (February 2024)
The Framework Agreement was signed on February 8, 2024, and ratified by Parliament in a 213–3 vote. Under the agreement, Turkey has supplied Somalia with armed drones, attack helicopters, and utility helicopters. Turkey has deployed F-16 fighter jets to Somalia and committed to building a Somali naval force. Turkey now operates a large military base in Mogadishu, while Turkish companies manage both the city's airport and port.
Impact: Somalia went from having no reliable military supplier to having a NATO ally provide jets, drones, helicopters, port management, and naval training. This has materially improved security in Mogadishu, the wider region, and Somalia's maritime borders.
9. 🚀 Turkish Spaceport — A First for the Horn of Africa
The spaceport project was launched on land allocated by Somalia — equator-adjacent and spanning roughly 900 square kilometres. Turkey's first overseas spaceport is intended to support satellite launches and domestically developed missile testing. Somalia's proximity to the equator lowers fuel costs and increases payload efficiency.
Impact: Beyond the headline, this matters economically. The equatorial advantage means lower launch costs, and the spaceport could generate foreign currency by offering pad rentals to third parties. It also represents a brand shift — Somalia as a future-facing nation, not a charity case.
10. 🛢️ Oil & Gas Exploration — Curad-1
Somalia named its first offshore oil exploration well "Curad One" — meaning "First Born" in Somali. Turkey's ultra-deepwater drilling ship Çağrı Bey departed for Somali waters in February 2026, targeting the well at 7,500 metres depth, located approximately 370km from Mogadishu. Seismic surveys by the Oruç Reis mapped over 4,000 km² of Somali waters. Three Turkish naval warships escort the operation.
Somalia holds estimated reserves of up to 30 billion barrels of oil with only two wells drilled offshore to date.
Impact: Even the beginning of drilling is transformative for investor confidence. If even modest commercial quantities are confirmed, it changes Somalia's entire economic trajectory. This is the culmination of HSM's energy diplomacy — the Turkey framework agreement, the seismic surveys, the legal reforms, and the lifting of the arms embargo all had to come together first.
11. 🗺️ SSC-Khaatumo / North Eastern State — National Unity Preserved
SSC-Khaatumo was acknowledged as an interim administration on October 19, 2023. On July 30, 2025, delegates in Las Anod officially announced the reconstitution of Khatumo as the North Eastern State of Somalia ("Waqooyi Bari").
Impact: This is enormous geopolitically. The Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn regions had been contested between Somaliland's secessionist claim and Puntland for over three decades. By recognising and supporting SSC-Khaatumo, HSM brought a large contested territory formally under the federal umbrella, weakening Somaliland's case for independence and filling a critical gap in Somalia's federal map. The new North Eastern State would become the third largest in the country.
12. 🛡️ Air Force Reconstruction & Pakistan JF-17 Talks
Somalia is in talks with Pakistan over a possible purchase of up to 24 JF-17 Thunder Block III fighters. Turkey has supplied Bayraktar TB2 drones that have demonstrated tactical effectiveness against Al-Shabaab. Turkish F-16s have been deployed to Somalia.
Honest caveat: The JF-17 deal is in advanced negotiations as of early 2026 — not concluded. The F-16s in Somalia are Turkish, not Somali-owned. But the trajectory is real: Somalia is actively rebuilding an air force from scratch for the first time in 30+ years.
13. 🌐 UN Security Council Non-Permanent Membership
Somalia was elected to serve as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council — a remarkable feat for a country that not long ago was considered a "failed state." This gave Somalia a voice in global peace and security decisions and raised its international standing enormously.
14. 🏆 Mogadishu Port — #1 in East Africa, Top 5 in Africa (September 2025)
Mogadishu Port ranked 163rd globally and #1 in East Africa by the World Bank's 2024 Container Port Performance Index, evaluating 407 global ports. It outperforms Berbera (243rd), Dar es Salaam (360th), Djibouti (364th), and Mombasa (375th).
Ship waiting times have been reduced to around six hours. A new container terminal opened in August 2025, raising annual capacity from 150,000 to 250,000 TEUs. The port processes about 6,000 containers monthly.
Impact: This directly reduces the cost of every imported good — food, medicine, construction materials, fuel — for Somali consumers. Beating Mombasa and Djibouti — two of East Africa's most established ports — is not a small feat. The port is operated by Turkey's Albayrak Group, and improved governance, digital systems, and public-private partnership drove the result.
15. 🗺️ South West State — Brought Under Federal Control (March 30, 2026)
Somalia's national army took control of Baidoa, prompting regional leader Laftagareen to resign on March 30, 2026. South West's finance minister was named acting president as efforts began to form a new administration.
Honest caveat: The situation involved genuine fighting — clashes killed at least 2 people and injured 25. This is a real political development with real costs. However, the net result is that South West State now comes under a pro-federal administration.
Federal State Alignment — April 2026
| State | Status |
|---|---|
| ✅ Hirshabelle | Aligned with Federal Government |
| ✅ Galmudug | Aligned with Federal Government |
| ✅ SSC-Khaatumo / North Eastern State | Aligned — formally declared July 2025 |
| ✅ South West State | Federal transitional administration — March 2026 |
| ✅ Banadir (Mogadishu) | Directly under federal control |
| ⚠️ Jubaland | Tensions ongoing — Madobe in dispute |
| ⚠️ Puntland | Operating independently since March 2024 |
5 of 7 regions aligned — the most federal cohesion in Somalia's history in the modern era.
16. 🌍 Diplomatic Masterclass — Somaliland Recognition Isolated (December 2025)
When Israel recognised Somaliland on December 26, 2025, the response was near-total international pushback. 14 of 15 UNSC members denounced the action. Twenty Middle Eastern and African countries issued a joint condemnation. The Arab League, EAC, OIC, and EU all reiterated Somalia's sovereignty. Even Trump distanced himself from Netanyahu on the issue.
Impact: This was a major diplomatic test and Somalia passed it emphatically. HSM had spent three years building these relationships — and they held under pressure. Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Arab League, the African Union, the EU, and the United States all affirmed Somalia's territorial integrity.
17. 🏛️ Constitutional Amendments — Presidential System (March 2024)
On March 30, 2024, the federal parliament approved: a return to universal suffrage, extension of federal terms from 4 to 5 years, a three-party limit, and granting the president authority to appoint a PM without parliamentary approval. This formally moves Somalia from a parliamentary to a presidential system.
Honest caveat: These amendments are contested — Puntland and Jubaland both oppose them. A fully ratified permanent constitution replacing the 2012 provisional one has not yet been completed. This remains unfinished work.
18. 🏦 Financial System — Connecting Somali Banks to the World
Somalia underwent its MENAFATF mutual evaluation in August 2024. Critically, Somalia is not on the FATF grey or black list. The African Development Bank has a dedicated Financial Sector Development Project running July 2024–July 2027, aimed at achieving correspondent banking access.
Impact when complete: This is potentially the single biggest economic unlock remaining. Right now, Somali banks cannot transact directly with international banks. When Somalia clears international compliance standards, diaspora remittances ($1–2B per year) become cheaper and more secure, foreign investment flows more freely, trade finance becomes accessible, and Somali businesses can open letters of credit with international partners.
🔐 Security Transformation — Mogadishu by the Numbers
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Daily flights at Aden Adde | 200+ (Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian, EgyptAir, SalamAir) |
| Monthly containers at port | 6,000 (1.5–2M tonnes annually) |
| East Africa port ranking | #1 (beating Mombasa, Djibouti, Dar es Salaam) |
| Annual port capacity | 250,000 TEUs |
| Ship waiting time | ~6 hours |
Honest caveat: Al-Shabaab still poses a serious threat. On March 18, 2025, they attempted to assassinate President Hassan Sheikh with roadside bombs near Villa Somalia. In 2025, Al-Shabaab recaptured some towns previously taken in 2022–2023 operations. The capital is safer; the countryside is still contested.
🔮 Easy Wins & Realistic Next 5 Years (2026–2031)
These are the structural opportunities the next president inherits — many already set in motion and requiring only continued execution.
| Achievement | Timeline | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| First direct presidential election | 2026 | 🟢 High |
| Oil/gas discovery confirmed | 2026–27 | 🟡 Medium-High |
| Correspondent banking unlocked | 2026–27 | 🟡 Medium-High |
| EAC passport travel normalised | 2026–28 | 🟢 High |
| Jubaland & Puntland federal alignment | 2026–28 | 🟡 Medium |
| Awdal state recognised | 2026–28 | 🟡 Medium |
| New Mogadishu Airport opens | 2029–31 | 🟡 Medium |
| New port / Special Economic Zone | 2027–30 | 🟡 Medium |
| Oil revenue begins flowing | 2028–31 | 🟡 Medium |
| Spaceport under active construction | 2027–30 | 🟠 Medium-Low |
| Somalia maritime economy operational | 2026–30 | 🟢 High |
| Mogadishu regional business hub | 2026–31 | 🟡 Medium-High |
| Education system rebuilt at scale | 2026–31 | 🟢 High |
| Mobile money globally integrated | 2026–29 | 🟢 High |
| Al-Shabaab territorially degraded | 2027–31 | 🟠 Low-Medium |
High-Confidence Easy Wins for the Next President
First Direct Presidential Election (2026) — The legal framework is passed. The National ID rollout gives people the infrastructure to register. Even a partial direct election covering Mogadishu, Hirshabelle, Galmudug, South West, and SSC would cover the majority of the population and set the template. Every Somali adult casting a vote for the first time since 1969 creates a mandate that indirect elections never could.
EAC Passport Travel Normalised (2026–2028) — Already in motion and accelerating. The EAC passport immediately adds visa-free access across 8 member states. Within 5 years, the Somali passport could realistically reach the 70th–80th range globally. For ordinary Somalis this changes daily life materially.
Somalia as Maritime Nation (2026–2030) — Ship registration, fishing licensing, port fees, Turkish naval pact, EEZ protection, oil drilling — all converging. Africa's longest coastline goes from vulnerability to asset. The ship registration model alone (like Panama or Liberia) could generate meaningful revenue.
Education System at Scale (2026–2031) — The World Bank's $2.3B portfolio is heavily weighted toward human capital. Median age ~17. This generation is the first to grow up with meaningful expectation of stability. The diaspora connection accelerates everything.
Mobile Money Globally Integrated (2026–2029) — Hormuud's EVC Plus already processes enormous volumes. Once correspondent banking connects, these platforms become internationally interoperable. Somalia would have a genuinely world-class financial inclusion story.
Medium-High Confidence
Oil/Gas Discovery (2026–2027) — Curad-1 results expected mid-to-late 2026. Somalia shares the geological corridor with Tanzania and Mozambique where world-class discoveries have been made. Even a modest find unlocks massive investment interest.
Correspondent Banking (2026–2027) — MENAFATF evaluation landing soon. AfDB project runs to 2027 specifically to close the gaps. When achieved, diaspora remittances of $1–2B annually become cheaper, trade finance accessible, FDI flows through normal channels.
Mogadishu as Regional Hub (2026–2031) — The real estate boom is visible. As banking unlocks and the airport comes online, Mogadishu becomes genuinely attractive as a regional HQ — cheaper than Nairobi, less politically complex than Addis Ababa, with a massive diaspora talent pipeline.
The Hardest Challenge
Al-Shabaab Territorial Degradation (2027–2031) — Full defeat is not realistic in 5 years. But reducing them to pure insurgency — no governance, no parallel tax system, no held towns — is achievable with Turkish drones and F-16s, a potential JF-17 deal, a growing SNA, the AUSSOM mission, and Egyptian military engagement. This remains the most uncertain variable. If their territorial control is broken, everything else accelerates dramatically.
The Honest Overall Picture
HSM's second term has delivered genuine, verifiable, historic milestones — especially the HIPC debt relief, arms embargo lift, EAC membership, and the SSC-Khaatumo integration. These are not small administrative wins; they are structural changes that alter Somalia's trajectory for decades.
The infrastructure megaprojects and military rebuilding are underway. The main honest caveats are around political unity (Puntland and Jubaland tensions remain serious), Al-Shabaab security setbacks in 2025, and some electoral reform timelines slipping.
But the arc of direction is clearly upward. Somalia has more functioning institutions, more international relationships, more economic momentum, and more territorial coherence than at any time in the last 35 years. That is the honest and well-evidenced conclusion.
The next president inherits not a broken state but a platform — debt-free, internationally recognised, regionally integrated, and with oil in the ground. Whether they capitalise on it will define Somalia's next chapter.