On 16 May, Somalia will elect a new president, likely ending Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo’s divisive five-year rule. The incoming leader inherits a deeply fragmented security sector and a growing Al‑Shabaab threat. Despite having over 70,000 trained forces, Somalia’s military campaigns, such as Operation Badbaado, have failed due to poor coordination, politicisation of security units, and misuse of elite forces like Danab, Duufaan, and Haram’ad for political ends. Under Farmaajo, the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) abandoned its core mission, becoming a tool of political control and allowing Al‑Shabaab infiltration. Secretive training programs, including sending 5,000 recruits to Eritrea, have raised transparency and accountability concerns, especially amid reports of missing soldiers.