Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held a telephone conversation with the President of Somalia H E Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud on Saturday, inquiring about his safety following a bomb blast that targeted his convoy, resulting in deaths and injuries. H H the Amir expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. H H the Amir affirmed Qatar’s solidarity with Somalia and its rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism aimed at destabilising Somalia. For his part, H E Hassan Sheikh Mohamud thanked H H the Amir and appreciated his sincere feelings for the Somali government and its people. Somalia has faced decades of armed conflict, social and political instability, and the impacts of climate change. The conflict is one factor that shapes Somalia’s specific development needs. At the same time the effects of climate change have been very disruptive for millions. The country has been affected by severe droughts, most recently in 2022. In December 2023, the country faced the worst flooding of the past 100 years. Some communities have not been able to recover from one crisis to another. Climate change has also exacerbated violence and displacement. Somalia has about 3.8 million internally displaced people that are mostly congregating around major cities and towns, making it one of the fastest urbanising countries in the world. To help Somalia tackle issues arising from these challenges, Qatar has supported Somalia in its development projects, including relating to health and education. Qatar played an important role in the implementation of many projects in Somalia such as building roads that extend for tens of kilometres and connect the capital, Mogadishu. It has supported economic empowerment programmes and job creation for youth in Somalia and implemented projects to eradicate illiteracy and educate about 300,000 students, and empower Somali youth economically, and created job opportunities for them in the fishing sector. Besides, Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Somali Ministry of Education, Culture, and Higher Education in 2024 to provide primary education for more than 57,000 Somali children out of school.
