WASHINGTON, DC – The Trump administration is preparing to scale back the U.S. military and financial presence in Somalia, marking a significant shift in its broader Africa policy, The Washington Post reported on Sunday.
The plan is part of a broader strategic reorientation aimed at reducing U.S. engagement on the continent in favor of other priorities, including border security and nuclear modernization. The Pentagon’s latest budget proposal reflects this shift, with reduced emphasis on U.S. Africa Command (Africom).
Defense officials say the new approach emphasizes “empowerment over dependency,” aiming to support African partners through intelligence-sharing and technology rather than direct military involvement.
In Somalia, this shift is already taking effect. The U.S. has ended its financial support for the elite Danab Brigade—Somalia’s most capable counterterrorism force—after years of backing estimated at $1.5 billion annually. The Somali government seeks alternative funding to sustain the unit’s operations and pay its soldiers.
The administration is also scaling back contributions to the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (ATMIS) at a time when al-Shabab militants are intensifying attacks across the country. The group, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda, has reportedly regained control of multiple towns and now operates in roughly a third of Somalia.
In recent months, al-Shabab has launched renewed offensives, including mortar attacks on the international airport in Mogadishu and operations in the Hirshabelle region, about 200 miles north of the capital. Analysts say the militants may exploit security gaps caused by reduced foreign support.
Al-Shabab has a history of targeting U.S. interests. In 2020, the group attacked a U.S. airbase in Kenya, killing three Americans. U.S. intelligence has also linked the group to a plot involving a possible 9/11-style attack.
The shift in U.S. policy continues a long and complicated relationship with Somalia. Somalia was a key U.S. ally under President Mohamed Siad Barre during the Cold War. However, relations were severed in 1991 following the collapse of his regime—a brief U.S. intervention in 1992 to address famine ended after the deadly 1993 Battle of Mogadishu. Following the September 11 attacks, the U.S. re-engaged in Somalia to counter the growing threat of al-Shabab.
In 2020, President Trump ordered the withdrawal of approximately 700 U.S. troops from Somalia. While the Biden administration later redeployed several hundred personnel, the Trump administration now appears poised to reduce the U.S. footprint again.
Somalia occupies a critical strategic location along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, near vital global shipping lanes through the Red Sea. Its instability continues to pose challenges to regional and international security efforts.