Somali Diaspora in Africa and Giving Back to Somalia

 The August 2026 issue of Africa Spectrum includes an "Introduction to the Special Issue: Giving in Somali Diaspora Humanitarianism in Africa" by Nauja Kleist and Mark Bardbury.

The articles in this special issue of Africa Spectrum demonstrate that Somali diaspora humanitarian engagement is continuously evolving and comes in many forms.  It is influenced by gender, generation, educational background, and socio-economic circumstances.  

The issue is unique in that it focuses on the Somali diaspora in a number of African countries and not the diaspora in North America or Europe.  

Somalis Concerned about Future of Federalism in Ethiopia

 Ethiopia Insight published on 18 July 2026 a commentary titled "Ethiopia's National Dialogue Could Unravel the Federal Bargain" by Muktar Ismail.  

On 15 July, Ethiopia's long awaited National Dialogue Conference opened in Addis Ababa with over 4,000 participants from around the nation.  

The author argues that many Somalis in Ethiopia view the Conference not as an attempt to achieve national reconciliation but an attempt to revise Ethiopia's federalist form of government, which remains central to Somali preferences.  

Kenya's President Reaches Out to Somali Minority

 Foreign Policy published on 25 June 2026 an article titled "Will Kenya's Ruto Finally Reconcile with the Country's Somali Minority?" by Joseph Maina. 

Kenyan President William Ruto has reached out to the country's minority Somali population to bring them more effectively into Kenyan society.  Some Kenyans are skeptical that Ruto's outreach to the Somalis is sincere.  

Minnesota Immigration Crackdown Impacts Somali Businesses

 The Associated Press published on 18 January 2026 an article titled "Somali Businesses Struggle during the Minneapolis ICE Crackdown" by Sarah Raza.

Minneapolis/St. Paul has the largest concentration of Somali Americans in the United States.  The crackdown on immigrants in the Twin Cities has forced many Somali businesses to shut down.

Somali Fraud in Minnesota: Prosecute Bad Actors but Don't Demonize Entire Community

 The Wall Street Journal published on 4 December 2025 an article titled "A Sprawling Fraud Scandal Puts Minnesota's Somali Community in the Spotlight" by Scott Calvert and Jeanne Whalen.  

About 80,000 people of Somali descent live in Minnesota. About 60 persons have been convicted of massive fraud from child nutrition, housing, and autism service programs funded by taxpayers.  President Trump has used the situation to refer to the Somali community in Minnesota as "garbage" and urged them to return to Somalia.

Comment:  This episode is clearly a major blot on the reputation of the Somali community in Minnesota.  But the answer is to prosecute to the full extent of the law all of those persons who are guilty and not to vilify the entire Somali community.  

Trump Rants and ICE Raids Put Fear in Minnesota Somali Community

 The Washington Post published on 4 December 2025 an article titled "Minnesota, Known for a Warm Welcome, Turns Icy for Somali Immigrants" by Caroline O'Donovan and Emmanuel Felton.

A combination of disparaging remarks by President Trump about the Somali community in Minnesota and recent raids in the Twin Cities by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have instilled a sense of fear among Somali Americans.  

Representative Ilhan Omar Responds to President Trump

 The New York Times published on 4 December 2025 an opinion piece titled "Ilhan Omar: Trump Knows He's Failing.  Cue the Bigotry."

Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minneapolis, responded to President Trump's vilification of her personally and the Minnesota Somali community generally.  She described Trump's remarks as "hate speech" and contributing to xenophobia.  

Ethnic Politics US Style: Somali Americans the Current Focus

 Reuters published on 4 December 2025 an article titled "Trump 'Garbage' Rhetoric about Somalis Draws Cheers from Administration, Silence from Republicans and Alarm from Critics" by Bianca Flowers, James Oliphant, David Hood-Nuno, and Joseph Ax.  

About 76,000 people of Somali descent live in Minnesota.  More than half of them were born in the United States.  President Trump and members of his administration have begun describing the Somali community in derogatory language.

Comment:  Any resident of the United States, Somali or otherwise, should be prosecuted for proven criminal acts.  But debasing an entire ethnic community for the actions of a few bad actors is not the America that I know and love. 

Deporting Somalis from Minnesota Encounters Reality

 The New York Times published on 3 December 2025 an article titled "Obstacles to Trump's Push to Deport Minnesota Somalis: Reality and the Cold" by Ernesto Londono and Talya Minsberg.

President Trump called Somalis in Minnesota "garbage" and vowed to deport them.  But there is a problem.  The vast majority of Somalis have legal status in the United States and very few are legally candidates for deportation.  Trump has, however, created an atmosphere of xenophobia in the Twin Cities area.

Trump Lashes Out at Somalis in US

 The Wall Street Journal published on 2 December 2025 an article titled "Trump Says He Doesn't Want Somali Immigrants in U.S. as ICE Plans Operation" by Michelle Hackman, Natalie Andrews, and Jack Morphet.  

President Trump said he does not want immigrants from Somalia in the country ahead of an expected ICE operation in Minnesota, where the Somali American community is concentrated.  Last month, Trump said he would revoke Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in Minnesota.  

He referred to Somali American elected member of Congress, Ilhan Omar, as "garbage."  Omar responded that "his obsession with me is creepy" and "I hope he gets the help he desperately needs." 

Somali Workers Force Amazon to Bargaining Table in Minneapolis

The New York Times published on 20 November 2018 a story titled "Somali Workers in Minnesota Force Amazon to Negotiate" by Karen Weise.

Somali refugees living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who work at an Amazon warehouse forced the company to negotiate arrangements to allow time to pray without being penalized for missing quotas. This was particularly significant because the facility does not hire union employees.

Somali-Oromo Clashes in Ethiopia

The Institute for Defense Analyses Africa Watch published on 21 December 2017 a brief analysis titled "What Does Unrest in Oromia Signify?" by Stephanie Burchard.

The author comments on ethnic clashes between Somalis and Oromos in northern Oromia. Traditionally, conflict between these two ethnic groups has been attributed to access to land and scarce resources.

Somalis in US Turn to Meat Industry

The Washington Post published on 25 May 2016 a long story titled "For Somalis, Hope Falls to the Cutting Floor: Refugees Entrapped by Popular Meat Industry" by Chico Harlan. The story describes the movement of Somalis into jobs in the meat cutting industry in the American Mid-West.

Pastoral Life in Ethiopia's Somali Region

The Inter Press Service published on 30 June 2014 a human interest story titled "Trekking with Ethiopia's Nomads, from Watering Holes to Pasture Lands, for a Better Life" by William Lloyd-George.  The article, which includes pictures, focuses on pastoralism in Ethiopia's Somali Region. 

Somali Communities in Colorado

During a speaking engagement in Denver this week, a couple of Somali communities in the state of Colorado were brought to my attention.  While I try to follow the Somali diaspora, these communities were not known to me. 

A small number of Somalis began arriving in Fort Morgan, about 80 miles northeast of Denver in 2005.  Most of them came to take advantage of jobs at the Cargill meat packing operation, tough and unpleasant work that many Americans are unwilling to do.  The word got out that jobs were plentiful and the community was mostly welcoming.  Today, there are between 1,000 and 1,200 Somalis living in Fort Morgan, a town of about 11,000 people.  As a result, Somalis now account for about 10 percent of the population. 

Al Jazeera published a nice piece on 6 October 2013 titled "Colorado: It Takes a Village to Settle Immigrants from Africa" by Donna Bryson.  Al Jazeera did a photo spread on 27 September 2013 titled "Photos: The Somalis of Fort Morgan, Colorado."  The Fort Morgan Times published an article on 27 June 2013 titled "Agencies in Morgan County to Consider More Refugee Issues" by Dan Barker that looks at the new immigrant community from a home town perspective. 

A separate Somali Bantu community estimated to number 540 has settled in Denver where they are engaged in farming.  Confluence Denver published a fascinating piece on 15 May 2013 titled "Bantu Urban Farm Marries Somali Tradition with Sustainable Farming in Denver" by Chris Meehan.  One of the projects is an innovative urban farm that reconnects the Bantu with the land where they bring their traditional farming techniques to the US while being taught sustainable farming techniques for the Colorado climate.