Somali Prime Minister Drags South Africa Into His Verbal Spat With Trump

• Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has addressed former President Trump's recent remarks about Somalia
• During a cabinet meeting, Trump referred to Somalia as “no good” while continuing to plan a crackdown on the Somali community in Minneapolis, Minnesota
• In his response, the Prime Minister stated that he did not take Trump's comments seriously, noting that Trump has previously spoken negatively about Nigeria and South Africa as well

AFRICA- Prime Minister of Somalia, Hamza Abdi Barre, responded to an attack on his country by United States President Donald Trump during a recent cabinet meeting. During discussions about an operation to target immigrants from Somalia living in Minneapolis, Trump stated that Somalia is "no good for a reason".

BBC News Africa posted the Somali Prime Minister's response on X (formerly Twitter).

According to BBC Africa, US immigration authorities are reportedly planning an enforcement operation in Minnesota's Somali community, which is one of the largest Somali communities in the country. Moreover, Trump has expressed intentions to revoke the decades-long protected status that Somalis have in the US. During the cabinet meeting, he remarked:

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"I don't want them in our country, I'll be honest with you. The US go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country".

Towards the end of the meeting, he reiterated his sentiments, saying:

"With Somalia, which is barely a country, you know, they have no, they have no anything. They just run around killing each other. There's no structure."

The Somali Prime Minister responded and referenced Nigeria and South Africa

The Somali Prime Minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, responded and referenced Nigeria and South Africa. He stated that he would not give attention to the disparaging remarks.

“He hasn’t only insulted Somalia but has also spoken badly about many countries, including Nigeria and South Africa. Sometimes there are things you simply let pass,” he continued.

Trump had previously initiated a travel ban on 12 countries, including Somalia. Trump said the ban, planned to take effect in June 2025, was a security measure designed to protect the US from 'foreign terrorists'.

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Trump said the ban stemmed from an attack on a Jewish protest in Colorado that US authorities concluded was orchestrated by a man in the US illegally. The other countries on the ban list were Chad, Congo, Myanmar, Sudan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Iran and Libya.

South Africans on social media gave a strong response, wondering how South Africa is involved

@TheMxolisi commented:

"No.Don’t put us with you in Somalia; you’re on your own."

@TamarSussex stated:

"It’s funny how he wants to include South Africa in his beef with the toddler now that his country is attacked but he was mum prior. We fight our battles alone, you do the same."

@Only_Botake said:

"Africa need to unite against this Trump Monster bully. By that time, Paul kgamane is the number one traitor in African Continent. He went to have supper with him in Washinton DC ."

@Spade37295887 commented:

"That Somalian mustn't include South Africa in his arguments."

@mufamadimash said:

"They shouldn’t involve us in their issues, we can handle USA ourselves."

This altercation highlights the current strained US-South Africa relations

In a previous report, Briefly News reported on the US boycotting the G20 summit held in Johannesburg in November 2025. Among its reasons for the boycott is that the US perceives there to be a persecution of white people in South Africa. Earlier in the year, President Ramaphosa had travelled to the white house, where he had a meeting with Trump.

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The South African contingent was caught by surprise when the US delegation brought out a video that they claim gives evidence of a white genocide in South Africa. Although Ramaphosa rubbished the video as 'fake news,' Trump refused to back down from the claims, eventually offering asylum to white Afrikaner South Africans who wanted to emigrate to the US.

Proofreading by Roxanne Dos Ramos, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News