Somalia descends into chaos

Somalia missed a deadline to hold an election by February 8, when President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known by his nickname Farmajo, was due to step down, sparking a constitutional crisis in the already-fragile state.

After Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo’s term expired, Somalia remains without a legitimate government and the country is descending deeper into political chaos.

Farmaajo now deploys security forces not against al-Shabaab terrorists as international funders intended, but rather against political opponents seeking to rally for free elections.

As protestors prepare to take to the streets, Somalis suspect that Fahad Yasin, Farmaajo’s intelligence chief has maintained tight personal relations with al-Shabaab.

Analysts argue that Farmaajo's unwillingness to accede should be no longer irrelevant, as he is no longer president. Somalis will no longer accept dictatorship. Somalis wear masks emblazoned with “Down with the Dictator.”

The United States and the broader international community have provided Somalia with more than $50 billion in aid and assistance. Rather than enable Somalia to recover, the money has had a corrosive effect on Somali political stability and is in part responsible for the current crisis.

In reality, the flood of funding had the opposite effect. Not only did it catalyze Somalia’s corruption but it also increased instability as Farmaajo has weaponized aid to consolidate dictatorship.