Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, in a lengthy article in the Saudi-based Sharqul Awsat newspaper, began by saying that since he was first elected President of Somalia in 2012, there have been six assassination attempts by Al-Shabaab, the most recent of which was on March 18, 2025, in Mogadishu.
President Hassan Sheikh pointed out that the last time he escaped an assassination attempt, Al-Shabaab was trying to disrupt his travel to the battlefield to inspire the army, but thanks to God and the vigilance of the security agencies, he said that their plan failed.
“This ongoing attempt to assassinate me is not a personal attack, but rather a reflection of the enemy’s awareness of the nature of the national project we are undertaking, which is to save Somalia from terrorism and build a stable future for its people and the entire region. Al-Shabaab has realized that eliminating it and other terrorist groups will not only liberate Somalia, but also create security and stability in the Horn of Africa,” President Hassan Sheikh said in his article.
The Somali President has declared that his government’s fight against terrorism is not just a local war, but a war that he described as one aimed at peace and stability in the entire region.
“Since taking office for the second time in 2022, I have made it my priority to lead the fight to the core of the terrorist organizations Al-Shabaab and ISIS. Our strategy has been comprehensive, as we have faced two major fronts: thought and money,” the President continued.
In his article, the President discussed the strategic importance of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the level of global security and economy, noting that many terrorist groups, primarily Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, ISIS and the Houthis, have secretly joined forces and are taking turns against countries in the region, including Somalia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries in general.
“Our intelligence recently discovered the relationship between the Houthi group in Yemen and ISIS and Al-Shabaab fighting in Somalia, which has turned into an exchange of weapons and expertise. We have intercepted and seized shipments of explosives and drones from Yemen that arrived in Somalia, and we have taken control of a network of people smugglers,” said President Hassan Sheikh.
In this article, President Sharqul Awsat also noted that the terrorists seek to control important maritime waters, be it the Gulf of Aden or the Indian Ocean coasts, which represent important arteries for the region and the world.
