Fierce Clashes in Somali Capital Leave at Least Three Dead Amid Tensions Over Evictions

MOGADISHU, Somalia - At least three young men lost their lives in Mogadishu, Thursday, officials said, following ugly clashes involving security forces and residents of Tarabunka after the government ordered the demolition of their houses under unclear circumstances.

Residents engaged in running battles with security forces who used extrajudicial means to neutralize the unarmed civilians. Dozens of others have been injured and taken to Digfer and other hospitals across the capital, reports indicate.

This comes amid concerns that the land would be sold to wealthy businesspeople with strong ties to the administration of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, under whose administration large parcels of land have been grabbed within Mogadishu and across Somalia.

Video footage has emerged showing Somali security forces firing an anti-aircraft gun mounted on a pickup vehicle at civilian homes, as clashes continue in Mogadishu. The clashes also left several security operatives seriously injured.

The review of other footage earlier today showed security forces advancing along a frontline in the heart of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, where government troops are engaged in a heavy firefight with residents protesting the planned demolition of their homes to make way for land sales to business interests.

Residents blocked roads leading to the Tarabunka neighborhood, as civilians resisted the eviction. The government has been accused of working closely with cartels to defraud innocent civilians of their land, with the suspects looking for strategic areas.

Since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took over, cases of land grabbing have skyrocketed in several cities and towns across Somalia, with analysts accusing the government of using unlawful means to displace innocent people from their land.

The government is also facing security challenges and a political stalemate ahead of the 2026 elections. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s government has repeatedly been accused of abetting corruption, leading to the loss of public properties and money.

GAROWE ONLINE