The revelations that Sweden secretly tied 100 million kronor ($10 million) in aid to Somalia in exchange for deportation cooperation should end the charade once and for all. Deportation is a sovereign act, not a commodity to be purchased from one of the world’s most corrupt governments.
The logic of the deal was flawed from the start. Somalia ranks near the bottom of Transparency International’s corruption index.
Channeling money into a fund linked to the Prime Minister’s office was never development aid—it was a political payoff. Even Sweden’s aid agency, SIDA, initially objected, recognizing the obvious risk.
The Somali government’s repeated suspension of deportations, coupled with its expulsion of Sweden’s aid chief, showed it viewed the money as leverage, not partnership.
No state should have to bribe another to accept its own citizens. The right to remove failed asylum seekers, criminals, or security risks is a core function of sovereignty. Deportations can and should proceed unilaterally, by charter flight if necessary, without concessions that legitimize corruption abroad.
The case for action is not merely procedural but existential. Elements within the Somali diaspora have embraced extremist rhetoric, including anti-Semitism and open hostility toward Western values. Public protests in European cities, where Palestinian flags are waved as symbols of rejectionism, reflect the ideological export of such views.
Sweden cannot ignore the security dimension either. Evidence that some individuals are funding or amplifying terrorist groups like al-Shabab while living on Swedish soil makes their continued presence a direct threat. Deportation is not about strengthening extremists in Somalia—it is about neutralizing them here.
Sweden’s government was right to seek the removal of individuals who break the law or abuse asylum. But it was wrong to tie that obligation to aid payments. Every krona spent in this way weakens Sweden’s integrity and feeds a cycle of corruption.
Deportation is not a favor that must be bought. It is a non-negotiable duty of the state to protect its citizens and uphold the rule of law.
Sweden must make a clean break. End the payments. End the pretense. Deport unilaterally, without apology and without subsidy.
