In the bustling city of Mogadishu, nestled in the heart of Somalia, there’s a storm brewing—a political storm that has stirred the ire of some notable figures in the region. Picture former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, ex-Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, and MP Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame standing together, hands raised in protest. They’re rallying against something that smacks of injustice: the government’s alleged auctioning of public lands.
“Public lands aren’t just pieces of dirt to buy and sell like trinkets at a bazaar,” the trio declared in a fervent statement today. They accused the current administration under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of trampling over constitutional and legal lines. This isn’t simply a matter of losing land, it’s a profound breach of trust.
The situation on the ground is distressing. In Mogadishu, internally displaced persons, or IDPs, are facing enforced evictions. Vulnerable families that have already suffered so much are being uprooted again. Picture them being unceremoniously removed from lands they seek refuge on, their prospect of stability as shaky as ever. These plots are then, allegedly, put under the hammer, sold to affluent businessmen.
Whispers from the corridors of power hint at the unsavory truth—profits from these sales are reportedly lining personal coffers, trickling into the hands of President Hassan Sheikh and his family, two wives, children, and all. This isn’t just idle gossip; multiple sources claim this as the gloomy reality.
And what of the lands themselves? The canvas of the cityscape is being altered; former military camps, hallowed public cemeteries, schools, and once-bustling government ministry buildings—now silent shells—are caught in this vortex of change. The people once protected by these bricks and boundaries find themselves in dire straits, stripped of sanctuary.
“These acts under Mohamud aren’t just transactional; they’re transactional at the expense of the voiceless,” argue Sharif, Khaire, and Abdishakur. The evictions, they say, are a means to an end: lining pockets or settling political favors.
The heart of the matter, the leaders claim, is a blatant disregard for essential legal safeguards. They point to the Constitution—Articles 26 and 43—mandating a national policy to oversee public assets. Then there’s the Public Financial Management Act, Articles 50 and 51, which carefully outlines how public property should be managed. Throw in the Somali Civil Code, and Law No. 41 on Urban Land Distribution, just for good measure. This body of law should act as a bulwark against such practices. Yet here we are.
It’s not just a skirmish over territory. At stake are principles: fair access to resources, proper documentation of land ownership, and shielding smallholders from the ruthless grind of the real estate machinery. But the opposition leaders urged all comers to beware. There’s a clear directive to businesses and individuals dipping their toes into these murky waters: proceed at your own peril.
“Treat these deals as worthless,” the leaders insisted with intensity that crackles like a live wire. Such transactions could land you in hot water both at home and abroad, with serious legal repercussions.
The unflinching declaration they made underscores four pivotal points:
1. Acquiring public land demands due process according to the Constitution and law.
2. Ownership springs only from legitimate channels.
3. Engaging in unlawful trades is akin to seizing the country’s riches for personal gain.
4. Legal accountability looms over anyone caught in this fraud—a sword hanging above the heads of those eyeing ill-gotten gains.
Rounding off their message, the leaders implored the masses to stand against the unauthorized privatization of public resources. Enforce the legal shields meant to protect societal assets, they demanded. The future of Somalia’s shared lands seems precariously perched, like a tightrope walker teetering high above ground, and the call to action sounds like a clarion bell through these uncertain times.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
