MOGADISHU — Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has warned that Somalia’s natural resources, particularly potential oil reserves, could face external threats unless the nation builds a military capable of defending its assets, as global competition for resources intensifies.
Speaking amid shifting global power dynamics, Barre cautioned that competition for resources was intensifying at a time when trust in international institutions and the traditional rules-based order was weakening. He warned that countries lacking military strength risk losing control over their wealth to stronger actors.
“A nation without a strong military to defend its faith, culture, and land has no dignity or existence; if the army collapses, the country collapses,” Barre said, adding that the capability of a national force is the primary measure of a country’s survival.
Natural Resources and National Sovereignty
The prime minister stressed that protecting natural resources was no longer rhetorical but essential for sovereignty, noting that oil in particular was becoming a growing focus of international interest. He urged Somalia to move beyond statements and ensure its territorial and economic integrity.
Barre called on the public to remain vigilant and support efforts to strengthen the national army, describing military development as the only viable path to securing the country’s future and safeguarding resources for coming generations.
Context of Growing Resource Competition
The prime minister’s warning comes as Somalia prepares to commence offshore oil drilling operations with Turkey’s Çağrı Bey drillship, which recently arrived in Mogadishu. The drilling campaign, targeting the Curad-1 well approximately 370 kilometers offshore, has drawn international attention to Somalia’s hydrocarbon potential.
The timing of the vessel’s arrival, as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration term nears its conclusion, has sparked intense debate among political figures about whether the country’s long-term wealth is being secured with adequate parliamentary oversight and public accountability.
Security Gains and Military Development
Barre’s remarks on military strength follow recent security gains by Somali forces against militant groups in the Bay, Bakool, Lower Shabelle, Middle Shabelle, and Lower Juba regions. The prime minister has previously praised troops for inflicting significant setbacks on Al-Shabaab.
The government has been actively rebuilding the Somali National Army with support from international partners, including Turkey, which has trained thousands of Somali troops at Camp TURKSOM since 2017 and recently deployed F-16 fighter jets to Somalia as part of a broader security partnership.
Strategic Importance of Oil Revenues
Analysts note that prospective oil revenues hold strategic importance for Somalia’s economic future. The country’s economy remains narrow and aid-dependent, with the closure of USAID marking a decisive shift in donor support. If managed transparently, hydrocarbons could provide a rare source of domestic revenue capable of financing core state functions, basic service delivery, and security provision.
Oil income could also introduce a new form of bargaining power, reducing Somalia’s structural dependence on external assistance and enabling greater autonomy in policy choice.
Commitment to National Defense
The prime minister has consistently emphasized that building a strong and disciplined military is essential to safeguarding national sovereignty. During the 66th anniversary of the Somali National Army, Barre stated that no nation without a capable armed force could maintain “honor and dignity,” underscoring the need to strengthen the army with both operational capacity and firm values to protect “religion, people and country.”
He emphasized that securing Somalia’s borders was the “first pillar” of national security, warning that a country that fails to guard its frontiers “is like an open house vulnerable to anyone’s ambitions.”
Barre’s latest warning reflects growing recognition within the federal government that as Somalia’s resource wealth attracts increasing international interest, military capacity must keep pace to ensure the nation retains control over its economic future.
