Life in Somalia varies widely amid ongoing al-Shabab violence and threats

Somalia, located in the Horn of Africa, remains one of the world’s most dangerous terrorist havens, as the Islamic State and al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist groups continue to kill and extort the country’s population. In the latest figures, Human Rights Watch says that hundreds were killed in 2024, either by jihadists or in conflict between clans and tribes in the country.

Somalis face armed roadblocks in many areas, terrorists or government forces extort money, and chaos and corruption spread on a daily basis.

president Donald Trump He attacked Somalia again on Wednesday, saying, “They are just people going around killing each other.” He added: “So many people consider Somalia the worst country on Earth? I don’t know… I haven’t been there. And I won’t be there any time soon. I hope so.”

The United States dramatically steps up its airstrikes in Somalia as the Trump administration targets ISIS and al-Qaeda terrorists

Daily life continues in the heart of the Horn of Africa as it draws attention with Africa’s longest coastline and strategic location in Mogadishu, Somalia on August 20, 2025. (Emirhan Turker/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Trump administration, through US Africa Command, has more than tenfold increased the number of airstrikes conducted against terrorists in Somalia so far this year, compared to missions conducted under President Biden in 2024. On November 25, Somali ISIS terrorists were attacked in the Puntland region by US and Somali forces using drones and ten MH-60 helicopters. On November 28, American forces Al-Shabaab terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda struck in the south of the country near Kismayo.

The Somali Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs states that more than 99% of the population are Sunni Muslims.

“Al-Shabaab movement continues “To control large areas 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-in-chief of the FDD’s Long War Journal. He added: “Although the exact amount has not been disclosed, in 2019 the AFRICOM commander reported that Al-Shabaab controlled about 25% of Somalia. The security situation has deteriorated since then, and Al-Shabaab undoubtedly controls a larger area than in 2019. In areas Al-Shabaab controls, it subjects civilians to taxation and its harsh version of Islamic law, and recruits, indoctrinates and trains young people to wage jihad.

Somali National Army soldiers walk near the front lines in Sabed, one of the towns liberated from Al-Qaeda-linked militants, Al-Shabaab, in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region on November 11, 2025. (Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images)

But in reality, Fox News Digital found, life is complicated. “In Somalia, it all depends on where you are,” Samatar Tali, a Mogadishu resident, told Fox News Digital. “The country is big, and the experiences are very different. Mogadishu is relatively safe, and it’s a big city with millions of people. Business is booming, the housing market is crazy, and new projects are being started every day,” he added.

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Abdul Samad Artan Ahmed, who also lives in Mogadishu, told Reuters recently: “We have seen and heard what the United States 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 in other areas, Somalia is safe and stable. This is the best and safest time for the country.”

But Human Rights Watch reported that there are still terrorist attacks from time to time in the capital. In August last year, Human Rights Watch reported that Al-Shabaab “attacked a beach restaurant, killing 37 civilians and wounding more than 200 others.”

A view shows smoke rising after a car bomb exploded at the Somali Ministry of Education in Mogadishu, Somalia on October 29, 2022 in this photo obtained from social media. (Abdel Halim Bashir/Reuters)

Anna Mager-Parducci, project director at the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), told Fox News Digitta that there are “tangible signs of improvement in aspects of daily life in Somalia, especially in Mogadishu.” “However, progress is uneven: rural and southern regions face persistent Al-Shabaab threats.”

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“Violence and danger mostly occur in places the government has not reached,” Talley said, adding that there are “pockets in Jubbaland, South-West State, Hirshabelle and Galmadoug. The state governments are weak and often only control two large cities, unlike Puntland and Somaliland, which control the majority of the state.”

“Overall safety remains precarious, with continued Al-Shabaab attacks, displacement, and weak policing. These visions paint a picture of cautious normalcy in urban centers that contrasts with checkpoint-crowded, militant-influenced routines elsewhere,” Major Parducci stressed.

Major Parducci continued, “Corruption is widespread in many government departments, and obtaining services often requires paying additional fees.” “Bribery is common in various public services. In Somalia, power is often concentrated in the hands of the governor, mayor or district officials, and sometimes, any armed person.”

Officers from Somali counter-terrorism police search vehicles and motorists at a pop-up checkpoint set up to find weapons and bomb components on a road on April 21, 2025 in central Mogadishu, Somalia. There are fears of a resurgence of jihadists in Somalia amid increasing attacks by the armed Al-Shabaab movement, which has been fighting the government for nearly 20 years and controls large swaths of the southern and central parts of the country. (Ed Ram/Getty Images)

Al-Shabaab’s fundraising tentacles constitute a cancer that grows in all areas of Somali society. The European Union asylum agency recently stated that “the United Nations Group of Experts on Somalia, in its latest report for 2024, indicates that Al-Shabaab’s total financial income for 2023 exceeded $150 million.”

The report continues: “Among other sources, Al-Shabaab relies on the following sources of revenue: checkpoints, charitable contributions or forced charity, direct business extortion, taxation of imports at ports, kidnappings for ransom, taxation of agricultural products, sale of livestock, water and irrigation resources, vehicle registration fees, operating license fees, as well as real estate and business ventures in Somalia. Everything and anything that could potentially be a source of income.”

In Somalia, you don’t have to deliberately fund Al-Shabaab, it just happens. “Nobody should be out there funding Al-Shabaab,” Tricia Bacon, a former State Department counterterrorism analyst, told Cary 11 News in Minnesota on November 26. “But that’s kind of the cost of doing business in Somalia because the government has been so ineffective in protecting people from Al-Shabaab extortion that, you know, you don’t really have a choice about whether to pay or not.”

Taliyah admitted that “government corruption is clear and painful, but people are accustomed to complete chaos.” The chaos arguably began when civil war broke out in 1991. Fox News correspondent Eric Schon was on assignment in Mogadishu the following year.

“The country was ruled by warlords“There was mass starvation and there was no government,” he told Fox News Digital. “She was judged on the end of an AK-47.”

“Gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades were being fired every night. The country had descended into chaos and complete uncertainty. There was no electricity and basic humanitarian conditions were barbaric. The result was a horrific spectacle of a man-made humanitarian disaster that was completely unnecessary and extremely unfortunate for the innocent civilians who had to endure unimaginable hardship.”

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Officers from Somali counter-terrorism police search vehicles and motorists at a pop-up checkpoint set up to find weapons and bomb components on a road on April 21, 2025 in central Mogadishu, Somalia. There are fears of a resurgence of jihadists in Somalia amid increasing attacks by the militant Al-Shabaab movement, which has been fighting the government for nearly 20 years and controls large swaths of the southern and central parts of the country. (Ed Ram/Getty Images)

For many Somalis, more than 30 years later, freedom is still just a dream. This means “living without fear – being able to move freely, work safely, and take care of their families,” said Mahjer Barducci. “This includes safety from checkpoints and clan tensions, speaking out, running businesses without intimidation, and sending children to school without worry. The Western public often misunderstands Somalia as a complete lawless state or a failed state, ignoring the resilience of its people, strong community networks, and gradual improvements in security, governance and business opportunities.”

“People are afraid of Al-Shabaab, and the hope is the long and painful journey towards one man, one vote,” Talley said. “People believe things will change only when the people take responsibility for the politicians.”