ISLAMABAD : 04 Aug 2026. Somalia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pakistan regarding defense cooperation. The aim of this MoU is to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Somalia in the fields of defense, security, and the development of Somalia’s military capabilities.
The MoU was signed in Islamabad by Somalia’s Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi and Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif.
The memorandum provides for cooperation in counterterrorism, military training, the exchange of military expertise and defence capacity building.
Somalian Ministry of Defense issued a statement, the MoU reflected the two countries’ commitment to strengthening their strategic relationship and expanding cooperation in the defence and security sectors, laying the foundation for closer collaboration between their armed forces.
Somalia has expanded defence partnerships with regional and international allies as it seeks to rebuild its security institutions and strengthen its campaign against Islamist militant group Al Shabaab.
The MoU has been signed at Ministry of Defense of Pakistan and not at the General Headquarters of Pakistan Army that is a relatively new phenomenon in Pakistan. Mostly , the Chief of Defense, Field Marshal , COAS General Asim Munir hosts such engagements like one he did with Commander of East Libya General Khalifa Haftar.
Another notable matter in this MoU is the sale of JF-17 Thunder is absent in the talks. Previously, both countries were discussing the deal on fighter jets in the context of new security challenges to Somalia when the separatists declared another state ” Somaliland ” and Israel recognized it asap.
Now when the senior most official of defense from Somalia is in Pakistan, his meeting with General Asim Munir is expected on 05 Aug. This MoU will be taken as a routine understanding between the two sides if a meeting and meaningful discussion is not held between the visiting minister and CDS of Pakistan.
Somalia advanced high-level negotiations to acquire up to 24 JF-17 “Thunder” fighter jets from Pakistan, taking a historic step toward rebuilding an air combat force that has been grounded since the collapse of the state in 1991. In Pakistan some media reports claimed that the deal has been signed but it was never confirmed from any side.
Ahmed Ali Shaikh, Editor Somalia Today has authored a detailed article on the topic. He writes ;
The talks focus on the advanced Block III variant and form part of a multi-phased package valued at about $900 million, sources told Somalia Today.
If finalised, the deal would stand as Mogadishu’s largest and most consequential defence purchase since the Cold War, signalling a major shift in the Horn of Africa’s regional security architecture.
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Somali and Pakistani officials have not publicly commented, but the negotiations cover far more than the aircraft themselves. They also include pilot training, weapons integration, and long-term maintenance and logistics.
During the Cold War, Somalia fielded one of the most formidable air forces in sub-Saharan Africa, flying Soviet MiG-21s and Western Hawker Hunters.
Decades of factional fighting after the 1991 overthrow of dictator Siad Barre then devastated that capability, leaving airbases in ruins and aircraft reduced to scrap.
Today, the federal government relies entirely on foreign partners, including the United States and Turkey, for drone strikes, precision logistics, and aerial surveillance in its protracted fight against the Al-Shabaab Islamist insurgency.
The JF-17 Thunder, a lightweight multi-role fighter co-developed by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China’s AVIC Chengdu, targets emerging air forces as a budget-friendly alternative to Western aircraft.
With a unit cost estimated at $30 million to $40 million, the jet offers a path around the heavy fiscal burden of platforms like the American F-16, which can cost upwards of $80 million.
Powered by a turbofan engine, the JF-17 can reach Mach 1.6 and has a combat radius exceeding 1,350 kilometres.
Those performance figures suit Somalia’s vast 637,000-square-kilometre landmass, enabling rapid deployment from the capital to contested border regions or distant coastal waters.
The Block III variant adds active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, upgraded sensors, and improved precision-strike capability, giving Somalia a platform it could use for air defence, maritime patrol, and ground attack missions.
For Pakistan, landing a Somali contract would deliver a major boost to its domestic defence export ambitions.
Islamabad has marketed the JF-17 abroad and secured deals with Myanmar, Nigeria, and Azerbaijan, while also courting interest from Bangladesh and Iraq.
But early foreign operating experience has drawn scrutiny. Myanmar’s air force has reportedly faced structural issues and maintenance hurdles with its JF-17 fleet, underscoring the risks for buyers without deep technical infrastructure.
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Military experts caution that Somalia cannot rebuild air combat capacity by buying jets alone.
To sustain high-readiness operations, Somalia would need trained pilots, specialised maintenance crews, reliable munitions stockpiles, and secure airbases.
Jets alone will not defeat Al-Shabaab’s asymmetric guerrilla tactics. But a sovereign fast-jet capability, paired with strong ground intelligence, could sharply limit the militants’ freedom of movement.
For a government long dependent on external forces, the JF-17 pursuit signals renewed strategic agency.
If Somalia successfully fields the fighters, it would gain the ability to patrol its 3,300-kilometre coastline independently—an outcome that could fundamentally reshape the balance of power in a highly volatile region.
