Former Somali presidents on Tuesday accused the government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of misappropriating public land and called for the relocation of families displaced by recent evictions in Mogadishu.
In a joint statement, ex-presidents Abdiqasim Salad Hassan, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo said authorities had “blatantly violated” the provisional constitution and other national laws by selling or reallocating land designated for public use.
“It is a grave misfortune that the country’s legal provisions have been disregarded and the constitution openly violated,” the former leaders said.
They urged Mohamud to stop “oppressing the poor citizens he swore to serve,” ensure resettlement for evicted families and return public land to government control.
The statement also warned Somali businesspeople against acquiring disputed plots, saying public land belongs to all citizens and that “corruption and looting of national assets” must be resisted.
The remarks followed weeks of complaints from Mogadishu residents who say they have been forcibly removed from land during a wave of demolitions. The Defense Ministry has said the operations target illegal structures on state land, but rights groups and community leaders have described them as unlawful evictions.
