Administrator Samantha Power met with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. They discussed the humanitarian situation in Somalia, advancing climate adaptation, and supporting the Federal Government of Somalia’s unprecedented efforts to diminish al-Shabaab’s corrosive influence across the country.
The Administrator expressed condolences to the people of Somalia after recent al-Shabaab attacks, and pledged to stand with the Somali people in their time of need. President Hassan Sheikh thanked the U.S. government for providing two-thirds of all donor funding for drought response, totaling nearly $1.3 billion, since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2022. They agreed on the urgency of mobilizing additional international support to fund emergency relief efforts as Somalia faces the prospect of a sixth failed rainy season.
Given the sustained and repeated climate shocks in the region, the two also discussed finding more sustainable and transformative ways to address and adapt to the impacts of climate change on Somalia’s food security, and agreed to coordinate efforts to encourage greater investment in Somali-led climate adaptation and resilience programs.
The Administrator announced $5 million in USAID support to stabilization efforts that will help deliver urgently needed services to communities that have risen up against al-Shabaab. She further emphasized support for federal reconciliation, noting it as a necessary foundation for sustained progress on security, governance, and economic reform.
