A Historic Swearing-In
Joe Biden has officially become the 46th president of the United States, sworn in at a scaled-back Inauguration Day ceremony in Washington D.C. due to the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened security. Kamala Harris made history as the first African-American woman and first person of Asian descent to be sworn in as vice president.
Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump in the November 3 election. In his inaugural address, Biden promised to “work for the development of the United States and the unification of the people,” vowing to preserve democracy and respect differences of opinion. He asked those who did not vote for him to give him a chance, and led a moment of silence for the more than 400,000 Americans lost to COVID-19. Trump, breaking a 152-year tradition, did not attend the ceremony.
What Biden Means for Somalia
For Somali observers, the change in leadership carries urgent questions. Somalia is a predominantly Muslim, African nation that has been a target of US military operations for years. Under Trump, US drones regularly struck Al-Shabab militants, but he also withdrew most ground troops in late 2020, redeploying them to Djibouti. Trump’s legacy includes calling African countries “shitholes” and placing Somalia under his so-called “Muslim Ban,” restricting visas.
The Risk of Troops Returning to Somali Soil
President Biden now faces a critical decision: whether to reverse Trump’s withdrawal and bring US troops back to Somalia. Re-establishing a persistent ground presence would risk deeper entanglement in a complex civil war, civilian casualties from drone strikes, and fueling Al-Shabab’s narrative of foreign occupation against a Muslim nation. However, a complete withdrawal risks creating a security vacuum that could allow militants to expand control.
For now, Biden has not announced a new Somalia policy. But the risk remains that his administration, seeking to counter terrorism, could redeploy forces—a move with profound consequences for Somalia’s fragile government and its people. Somali observers wait anxiously to see whether the new president will break from Trump’s hostility or continue the same military footprint under a different banner.
