By Abdullahi Abdi

Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has blamed Ethiopia’s Somaliland port deal push for Al-Shabaab’s resurgence, suggesting it contributed to recent government losses.

Earlier this week, PM Hamza admitted that Al-Shabaab fighters had retaken towns and villages from which they were previously driven out, saying his government had been “distracted” by managing the Ethiopia–Somaliland port agreement dispute. 

He implied the diplomatic dispute caused military operations to slow in those regions.

This comes amid reports that the Somali National Army has recently lost ground to Al-Shabaab, suffering casualties, losing key towns, and showing signs of deep demoralization.

Security analysts have dismissed the Prime Minister’s justification as a weak excuse, arguing that citing the port dispute distracts from more fundamental failures in strategy, leadership, and political will within Mogadishu.

Observers have called this explanation disingenuous—and even insulting to the soldiers and civilians now under renewed Al-Shabaab control. They argue that Villa Somalia’s true failure lies not in external distractions but in systemic neglect of the anti-Al-Shabaab fight—diverting troops and weapons away from the front lines to pursue internal political goals.

For many Somalis, the Prime Minister’s “distraction” defense underscores the government’s true priorities: regime maintenance, political maneuvering, and clan-based power plays. 

Meanwhile, as Al-Shabaab once again raises its black flags over lost towns, civilians are bearing the brunt—facing displacement, extortion, child soldier recruitment, and brutal reprisal killings.