Confirmed, this would not be the first time Qatar has been linked to the relocation of Somali militant leaders. In 2014, Doha allegedly facilitated the transfer of Al-Shabaab’s Calmadow Atam from Mogadishu, with support from Somali government officials at the time.
Qatar has also faced past allegations of interference in Somali internal affairs. In 2019, The New York Times published details of a phone call in which a Qatari businessman appeared to claim credit for the killing of a DP World representative in Bosaso, suggesting it served Doha’s interests in the port city. Qatar denied any involvement.
Last year, Qatari officials reportedly attempted to broker informal talks between Al-Shabaab and the Somali government — an initiative blocked by Washington, according to diplomatic sources — amid concerns that Doha’s engagement could strengthen extremist networks in Somalia.
Security analysts say Qatar’s long-standing strategy in Somalia appears to be rooted in influence-building across multiple factions, including both the government and Islamist movements. Some Somali officials fear this approach could mirror the political environment of the mid-2000s, when the Islamic Courts Union briefly controlled Mogadishu before being ousted by Ethiopian forces.
Former Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole previously told Somalia’s upper house that more than 180 people were killed during Atom’s Qatar-linked insurgency, accusing Villa Somalia of failing to hold Doha accountable for the losses.
The Somali and Qatari governments have not publicly commented on the latest claims. U.S. and Somali intelligence officials confirmed that Mumin is in Qatar’s capital Doha