MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somali police soldiers moved into the Kallunka neighborhood near Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu to enforce an eviction order. The land, which had been home to hundreds of families, is state-owned.
Despite attempts to resist, many families, including children, watched as their homes were bulldozed. They salvaged whatever they could from the rubble. The eviction sparked widespread condemnation and uproar on social media.
Mohamed Ali Ismail, a father of six, said his family has nowhere to go. “We’ve lived here for decades,” he explained, adding that the government hasn’t offered any alternative land for them to settle on.
Many books, pens, and school uniforms were seen scattered throughout the village when the demolition operation ended. Some residents loaded their possessions onto donkey carts, while others carried their things by hand.
Asha Mohamed Hussein, a mother of two, criticized the heavy-handed approach the government took during the eviction. She said she salvaged whatever she could from the rubble but is still unsure where she and her children will go or where they will find a new home.
Since his re-election in 2022, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s government has forcibly evicted thousands of families from state-owned land in Mogadishu, claiming the need to reclaim it for national rebuilding and development.
In a statement, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and other opposition leaders criticized the government for displacing people from land meant for the public interest, accusing it of handing over the land to businesspeople in exchange for money given to President Mohamud.
“It is an injustice to displace families and children,” Sheikh Ahmed said. “It is also unfortunate to evict the mothers and children of those who fought to liberate Somalia from Al-Shabaab, only for their land to be handed over to the rich for profit.”
Ahmed stated that land, including military camps, cannot be sold by the government, noting there was no proper system for the land from which families were displaced. “Citizens have the right to housing, and when displaced, they must be given another place,” he added.
Since the collapse of central authority following the overthrow of President Siad Barre’s regime in 1991, Somalia has been plunged into chaos, with land grabbing becoming a major issue in Mogadishu. This often involves senior government officials misusing their power to intimidate individuals and seize both public and private lands for personal gain.
