Somali prime minister to visit Minnesota on Sunday

For the first time ever, the sitting prime minister of Somalia will visit Minnesota.

Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre is set to make an appearance Sunday night at the Doubletree Hotel in Bloomington. The event will kick off at 6 p.m. with live music and guest speakers prior to the prime minister’s arrival sometime after 8 p.m.

Barre is expected to address his country’s ongoing battles with corruption and the terror group Al-Shahab and touch on the role of the Somali diaspora.

The prime minister’s visit comes less than a year after Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s trip to Minneapolis.

With more than 89,000 Somali residents, Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the United States — a 42% share of the country’s total, according to 2020 census data.