MOGADISHU, Somalia – One person was killed and several others wounded in Somalia’s capital after government forces opened fire on residents protesting the demolition of their homes, triggering sharp condemnation from lawmakers and drawing a threatening intervention from the militant group Al-Shabaab.
The violence broke out in the sprawling Dayniile district on the outskirts of Mogadishu, where tensions have been steadily rising over the government’s controversial policy of clearing settlements built on land officially designated as public property.
Witnesses said security forces used live ammunition to disperse demonstrators after protests against the demolitions turned violent. The deceased was identified as Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan.
“A protest is a constitutional right for the people to express their grievances, and they do not have the right to be shot at,” lawmaker Faiso Mohamed Jayte said in a sharply worded statement. She expressed solidarity with the residents and warned that accountability for the violence was inevitable.
“There is no doubt that those who gave the orders will be held responsible,” she added, further urging residents to remain vigilant against private business interests she alleged were colluding with officials to seize their land.
The clashes underscore a deeply divisive issue in Mogadishu, a city whose very landscape has been profoundly shaped by decades of civil war, mass displacement, and contested land ownership.
Accusations of land grabbing
At the heart of the dispute lies the contested ownership and use of “danta guud” — public land. Many of the families affected by the evictions have lived in these informal settlements for years, often after being uprooted by conflict from other parts of the country.
Residents and opposition figures accuse the administration of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of selling off public land to private developers without due process or adequate compensation for the occupants. This has sparked a wave of forced evictions across Mogadishu, which critics have denounced as “dhul boob” — land grabbing.
“What is happening in Mogadishu is land grabbing,” a coalition of former Somali presidents declared in a joint statement issued in August, directly accusing President Mohamud’s government of illegally seizing public property and flouting legal procedures for its disposal. The government has yet to issue a formal response to either the latest outbreak of violence or the broader allegations.
Al-Shabaab exploits the unrest
The turmoil has created an opportunity for the Al-Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabaab, which continues to wage a long-running insurgency against the Somali state. The jihadist group released a statement condemning the evictions and warning that it would take action against businesspeople involved in the land deals.
“We are telling the people of Banadir that looted land cannot be developed by anyone other than its original owner,” the group declared, attempting to cast itself as a defender of public property and citizen rights.
Analysts note this is a familiar tactic: Al-Shabaab frequently seeks to exploit grievances and governance failures to undermine state authority and cultivate sympathy among disaffected populations, as highlighted in reports by security think tanks such as the International Crisis Group.
Land disputes in Mogadishu are rooted in the collapse of the Somali state in 1991, which unleashed decades of civil war and mass displacement. Millions fled to the capital, occupying vacant public lands and establishing sprawling informal settlements.
For more than thirty years, these communities have evolved into semi-permanent neighborhoods, but without formal land titles, their residents remain perpetually vulnerable to eviction as the government and private investors push forward with redevelopment plans.
Opponents of President Mohamud have repeatedly called on the government to suspend forced evictions and to establish a transparent legal framework for resolving historic land claims. Yet demolitions continue, and tensions in districts like Dayniile remain dangerously high — threatening to fuel further instability in a city already struggling with entrenched insecurity and severe economic challenges.