Somali president meets Swedish minister as deportations face scrutiny

Tuesday December 16, 2025

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud meets with a Swedish government delegation led by Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa at the presidential palace in Mogadishu on Tuesday. The talks focused on strengthening bilateral relations, including cooperation on economic development, trade and institutional capacity-building, according to the Somali presidency. CREDIT / Villa Somalia

Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met Tuesday with a senior Swedish delegation in Mogadishu to discuss strengthening bilateral relations, with talks focusing on economic cooperation, trade and support for state institutions, officials said.

The delegation was led by Sweden’s minister for international development cooperation and foreign trade, Benjamin Dousa, and held closed-door discussions with the president at the presidential palace, according to a statement from the Somali presidency.

“The president of the republic and the minister discussed the bilateral relationship between Somalia and Sweden and ways to further strengthen it, particularly in the areas of the economy, trade and enhancing the capacity of state institutions,” the statement said.

Swedish officials told Mohamud that Stockholm is prepared to play a larger role in supporting peace and stability in Somalia, including assistance aimed at rebuilding government institutions after decades of conflict. Dousa and his delegation reaffirmed Sweden’s continued support for the Somali government and people.

The visit comes amid increased scrutiny of Sweden’s deportation of Somali nationals whose asylum applications have been rejected. Earlier this week, Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell said Sweden would continue enforcing deportations under existing return arrangements with Somalia, despite political criticism in Stockholm.

Police data cited by Swedish officials show Somalia had accepted 25 deportees by November, including 14 individuals removed following criminal convictions. The number of Somali nationals forcibly returned from Sweden has risen in recent years, increasing from six cases in 2021 to 29 cases in 2023.

The deportations have sparked controversy in Sweden, where opposition parties and media investigations have questioned whether development funds were redirected to facilitate returns. Swedish authorities have denied wrongdoing, saying the support is administered through international organizations such as the International Organization for Migration.

Somali officials have also rejected claims of any secret or conditional agreements. In an Oct. 9 statement, the Office of the Prime Minister described reports linking development aid to deportations as “false, misleading, and unfounded,” saying cooperation with Sweden is conducted transparently through formal diplomatic channels and multilateral institutions, including the World Bank and United Nations agencies.

Sweden remains a long-standing partner for Somalia, providing development assistance and backing peacebuilding, governance and security initiatives. In October, Sweden’s defense minister visited Mogadishu to discuss expanding cooperation on counterterrorism, training and capacity-building for Somali security forces, highlighting the breadth of engagement between the two countries beyond migration issues.