Somalia graduates 3,000 soldiers in largest military cohort since 1991

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud presided over the graduation of approximately 3,000 newly trained soldiers at the Xananbuure training camp in the Galguduud region. This represents the largest single cohort to complete military training within Somalia since the collapse of the central government in 1991.

The training program was funded by Saudi Arabia as part of a February defense agreement in which Riyadh pledged to train roughly 5,000 Somali soldiers. While Saudi officials oversaw the program, foreign instructors from countries including Romania, Ukraine, and Sudan participated in the training. The recruits underwent nearly a year of instruction covering combat tactics, military law, discipline, and essential military skills.

The graduation occurs as Somalia faces increasing pressure to assume full responsibility for national security due to the planned drawdown of African Union peacekeepers. President Mohamud described the event as a milestone in rebuilding the Somali National Army and developing self-sufficient military capabilities to protect the nation's sovereignty.