2.3. Recent instances of evictions in Mogadishu

According to the NRC, in recent periods Mogadishu’s ‘forced eviction crisis has worsened, with reports of deaths, physical assaults, and destruction of housing, land and property assets, coupled with the inhumane treatment of internally displaced persons (IDPs)’.190

In the period April 2025 – March 2026, ACLED registered 84 instances of protests against (forced) land evictions all across Somalia, 78 of which took place in Banadir/Mogadishu. In the preceding year, April 2024 – March 2025, ACLED registered another eight such events, with all of them taking place in Mogadishu. Registered evictions were either carried out by private developers or were government-led operations escorted by security forces, which often cracked down on protesters, resulting in arrests, injuries and sometimes fatalities.191

Evictions are carried out either by private landlords or by government authorities. Basically, there are two types of evictions: (1) those targeting IDP informal settlements in the outskirts of Mogadishu; (2) those targeting IDPs or urban poor dwellers squatting in government buildings or occupying government properties.192 In the period 2025-2026, there has been a surge in the number of government-led evictions in Mogadishu with the FGS claiming back several government properties. Out of the 143 548 evictions registered in 2025 in the city, 63 132 individuals were evicted from government properties.193

As reported by the Coalition of Somalia Human Rights Defenders (CSHRD), in the course of 2025, evictions were frequently carried out without adequate notice, genuine consultation, compensation, or provision of alternative housing, in violation of international human rights standards.194

Within this context, opposition groups and leaders have raised serious concerns about compliance with human rights standards on the one hand, and about the unlawful selling of the cleared public properties on the other. Forcible evictions of IDPs had been carried out while violating human rights, resorting to power abuse, and in violations of national law and humanitarian standards.195 Moreover, the selling of public lands and properties - that used to be reserved for military installations, public institutions, educational and healthcare facilities, housing for civil servants, recreational areas, and others - has been allegedly conducted without proper legal process, public consultation, planning, or transparency, and was detrimental to the public interest.196