Thursday October 9, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali government has strongly denied reports
claiming it reached a “secret deal” with Sweden involving conditional
development aid linked to the deportation of Somali nationals.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Office of the
Prime Minister dismissed the allegations as “false, misleading, and unfounded.”
“Somalia has no secret or conditional arrangement with any
partner concerning the return of its nationals or the allocation of development
assistance,” the statement said.
The clarification followed media reports alleging that
Somalia had agreed to accept deported Somalis from Sweden in exchange for
development funding for a project linked to the Prime Minister’s Office.
“The cooperation between Somalia and Sweden is
long-standing, transparent, and grounded in mutual respect and international
law,” the statement added, emphasizing that all engagements between the two
nations are conducted through formal diplomatic channels and are subject to
cabinet oversight and institutional accountability.
The government noted that all development aid to Somalia is
managed through transparent mechanisms, including the World Bank, UN agencies,
and the Somali government’s financial system.
According to Statistics Sweden, there were nearly 70,000
Somali nationals living in Sweden as of 2024.