Thursday October 2, 2025
Sweden redirected aid money to projects close to the Somali prime minister, in exchange for a migration deal. Credit: Samuel Skoog/Sveriges Radio
Mogadishu (HOL) — Sweden is facing growing political backlash and a diplomatic rift with Somalia after investigations revealed a secret agreement that tied 100 million kronor ($10 million) in Swedish aid to Somalia’s acceptance of deported Somali nationals.
An investigation by Swedish Radio’s news program Ekot revealed that Sweden’s ambassador in Mogadishu reached an agreement in December 2023 with Somalia’s Prime Minister to redirect 100 million kronor from Sweden’s aid budget into a Somali-Italian development fund. In return, Somalia would take back citizens that Sweden wanted to deport, including individuals convicted of crimes who refused to leave.
The deal triggered a year-long conflict between Swedish agencies and Somali authorities. According to Ekot, Somalia’s government insisted on control over the funds through the prime minister’s office, a move analysts say blurred lines between development support and political patronage.
“This (deal) is an example of how the Somali government is trying to secure direct control over more resources,” said Omar Mahmood, a Somalia analyst with the International Crisis Group, in an interview with Swedish Radio.
When Sweden’s development agency SIDA objected, citing accountability concerns, tensions escalated. To compromise, Sweden transferred 40 million kronor through the World Bank, but the bank later blocked further payments. As disbursements stalled, Somali authorities suspended deportations, accusing Sweden of breaching the agreement.
The standoff culminated in May, when Somalia
expelled Sweden’s aid chief, Anna Saleem Högberg, declaring her
persona non grata. Somali officials told Ekot they viewed her as “standing in the way of the money.” Shortly afterward, the Swedish government amended SIDA’s mandate, releasing the remaining 60 million kronor via a UNDP-administered program tied to the Somali prime minister’s office. Deportations then resumed.
Experts and former officials have criticized the arrangement as high-risk.
“The goals are vague and the indicators unclear. It’s hard to know whether any outcomes were achieved,” said Mats Hårsmar, deputy director of Sweden’s Expert Group for Aid Studies (EBA).
“The risk of corruption is obvious to anyone who has worked on these issues,” added Wilo Abdulle Osman, a Somali return migration specialist.
Somalia ranks second to last on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, and opposition lawmakers in Stockholm have condemned the deal as irresponsible.
“It is highly reckless to transfer such large sums into funds associated with Somalia’s top leadership given the country’s corruption levels,” said Morgan Johansson of the Social Democrats, who demanded a parliamentary inquiry.
The Center Party and Green Party also denounced the agreement as “corruption and political misdirection.” Center Party foreign policy spokesperson Anna Lasses told SVT the revelations were “deeply alarming.”
Minister for International Development Cooperation Benjamin Dousa, of the Moderate Party, defended the policy, saying development aid can be used to promote migration objectives.
“We expect our agencies to deliver on government policy,” Dousa said. “It is reasonable to use aid as an incentive for countries to take back their citizens.”
SIDA officials, however, told Swedish media they felt political pressure from the government to proceed. The agency declined comment, while UNDP said the project complied with its standard accountability procedures.
Sweden first announced plans to deport Somali nationals under
new immigration rules in early 2025, targeting individuals with criminal convictions or failed asylum claims. By mid-2025, Sweden had already
deported eight Somali nationals and was preparing to remove at least 15 more as part of its stricter immigration crackdown.
The secret deportation agreement follows other schemes Sweden has launched to reduce its migrant population through financial or policy incentives. In September 2024, the government announced an initiative
offering refugees, including Somalis, up to 350,000 Swedish kronor (about $35,000) to voluntarily return to their home countries.
Sweden’s approach is part of a Nordic trend of linking development assistance to migration cooperation. In neighbouring Finland, the government
froze its Somalia Country Programme in late 2024 after Mogadishu declined to accept more deported citizens, citing security risks and limited reintegration capacity. The freeze halted new project decisions worth 8–9 million euros annually, though humanitarian assistance and NGO grants were allowed to continue. Public broadcaster Yle reported that Helsinki set an informal target of 100 accepted deportees before reconsidering the freeze.
Ekot said it sought comment from the Somali prime minister’s office but received no response.