Somali Authorities Persist in Displacing the Impoverished, Drawing Criticism from Human Rights Groups
In the buzzing heart of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, where resilience often wears the cloak of despair, a troubling scenario unfolds. The government, with powers that be, seems hell-bent on uprooting impoverished families from public lands. This move has sparked outrage among human rights activists, who fervently demand an immediate cessation to these evictions. The gritty reality for hundreds of displaced individuals at the Ex-Carwada in Mogadishu’s Hodan district is a harsh one, as they find themselves thrust into a predicament that begs the question: Where do they go from here?
Imagine waking up one morning to find your neighborhood, not just your home, is slated for demolition. That was the grim reality for residents who have called this area home since 1990. Now, whispers float in the air and on the lips of a local protester, “We’ve been here for decades, but now whispers are turning into cries as the government sells our land to the highest bidder.” There’s an appeal in their plea, a desperate call to the authorities and the Mayor of Mogadishu to intervene before their voices become just echoes in deserted streets.
The desperation reached a fever pitch with the eerie soundscape of gunfire ringing through the air. Rival militias clashed ferociously over the eviction, with one militia digging in their heels, defiantly opposing the government-backed operation to dislodge residents from their homes at the contested ex-Carwada Taleex site. It’s a story of David versus Goliath, with fervor substituting for slings and stones.
Active in the fray of voices against the evictions is the National Movement Against Oppression (Dulmidiid Qaran). With unwavering conviction, the group condemned the actions, loudly proclaiming them to be flagrant human rights violations. They warned implicated authorities, including Mogadishu’s Mayor Mohamed Ahmed Amiir—ironically a UK citizen who once benefited from asylum and aid in a foreign land. “A person who has enjoyed such benevolence should mirror it in his decisions,” emphasized Shurie Mohamed, the chair of the movement. There’s a thinly veiled warning in their words to businesses frothing at the bit to purchase public properties: adding salt to the wounds of the destitute will not be forgotten.
These evictions, another peacock in the grim parade of issues Somalia faces, often see internally displaced persons (IDPs) and those most vulnerable displaced from lands that should be safe havens. What replaces these sanctuary sites? Glittering projects by wealthy businessmen. Locations with storied pasts—former military strongholds, a public cemetery, schools, and relics of once-bustling government buildings—now echo with haunting emptiness, enveloping displaced residents in a shroud of uncertainty.
Meanwhile, in the shadows of this societal upheaval, another crisis brews within the underbelly of Somalia’s banking sector. Banks teeter on the brink of collapse, grappling with the fallout from reckless real estate investments. With depositors’ money mirroring the exodus, bank funds found homes in vacant land and speculative construction ventures. But these ventures soured, with hastily constructed housing deemed unfit and selling land as probable as cashing in a rain check during a drought.
So, what now for the denizens of Mogadishu and the financial edifices awaiting an imminent tumble? The future is clouded in uncertainty for both those evicted and the struggling banks. There’s a silent prayer beneath the city’s chaos, hoping for a prophet to pave the way to understanding and empathy, rather than profit.
Report by Axadle.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
