By Abdiqani Haji Abdi
The catastrophic crisis of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Mogadishu is not a random tragedy; it is the calculated outcome of systemic corruption and the deliberate, mass theft of public land allegedly orchestrated by a powerful network of elites led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his associates.
This illicit land grab has created a humanitarian disaster, but the crisis of governance is compounded by the President’s attempts to unilaterally amend the Provisional Constitution, deepening Somalia’s political fracture and leading to calls for him to be immediately disqualified from the May 2026 presidential election (return stolen lands, three former Somalia’s presidents tell Hassan sheikh)
I. The Systematic Destruction of Public Trust
The core of this scandal is the widespread privatization and sale of state-owned properties intended for public services, national defense, and community welfare. The list of stolen properties—ranging from military installations to hospitals and essential industrial infrastructure—is staggering, representing decades of national investment wiped out for private gain. This was not a passive failing, but a systematic destruction of public trust, allegedly facilitated by political power that turned the highest office into a mechanism for asset stripping.
The scale of the theft, as outlined in detailed public accounts, includes the appropriation of:
a) National Security Assets: Lands belonging to the Naval Forces, Air Force, and strategic military camps (like Xero Officers Quarter and Xero Guulwade), rendering defense forces homeless and directly compromising national security.
b) Health and Education Infrastructure: The privatization of plots designated for MCH (Mother and Child Health) centers, hospital lands, and university compounds, dismantling the foundations of social development.
c) Vulnerable Populations’ Resources: The appropriation of lands designated for the Disabled Persons (Naafada), the Police Orphans (Agoonta Boliiska), and public housing units, proving that the most marginalized were not exempt from the avarice of the powerful.
From Land Theft to Displacement: A Crime Against Humanity
The connection between this high-level land grab and the surge in Mogadishu’s IDP population is direct, criminal, and results in immense human cost:
1) Forced Evictions as a Business Model: Desperate families fleeing conflict often sought refuge on available state land. This land was subsequently illegally sold by President Mohamud’s cronies to wealthy business interests. The resulting violent evictions, carried out by force and without due process, have trapped hundreds of thousands in a brutal, ongoing cycle of displacement. This systematic pattern of evictions, directly linked to the enrichment of an elite, carries the markers of a Crime Against Humanity. Somalia: Is President Mohamud selling off public land to tycoons?
2) Gutting State Capacity: The theft forced key ministries to abandon their permanent state buildings and operate out of expensive rented houses. This diverted scarce national revenue away from essential services and IDP support, directly impeding effective governance and deepening the crisis.
II. The Constitutional Coup: A Solo Bid for Power
Compounding the crisis of corruption is the President’s alleged attempt to amend the Provisional Constitution of 2012 unilaterally and without genuine consultation. On March 30, 2024, the Federal Parliament approved a series of controversial constitutional amendments that critics—including former Presidents, Federal Member States (FMS) like Puntland and Jubaland, and numerous opposition politicians—argued were designed to centralize executive power in the Presidency and favor the incumbent’s bid for re-election in 2026
Key criticisms of the constitutional process include:
Lack of Consensus: The amendments were pushed through without the broad consultation or consensus required for such fundamental changes, particularly with key Federal Member States, leading to a major political crisis. (Somali’s Parliament Approves Historic Constitutional Amendments)
Executive Overreach: The reforms granted the President authority to appoint and remove the Prime Minister without parliamentary approval, effectively shifting Somalia from a parliamentary toward a centralized, presidential system.
Manipulating the Political Framework: Opponents view the swift introduction of these reforms, including the shift to a direct voting system, as a calculated maneuver to dismantle established power-sharing arrangements and eliminate political rivals ahead of the 2026 polls.
The Global Precedent for Accountability
The current crisis mirrors historical land corruption scandals, where justice ultimately required the removal and conviction of high-ranking officials. The recent conviction of Bangladesh’s former leader, Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced to 21 years in prison on three corruption charges related to the illegal allocation of public land, stands as a clear global precedent: no political office, however high, offers immunity from prosecution for land-related crimes.
DEMAND FOR JUSTICE: Disqualification and Prosecution
The confluence of massive land theft and constitutional manipulation constitutes a profound violation of the oath of office and an egregious abuse of power. For Somalia to secure its future, stability, and constitutional integrity, decisive action is paramount:
1) Barring from Office: Due to the severe and credible allegations of mass land theft and the unconstitutional unilateral amendment of the Provisional Constitution, we demand that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud be immediately barred from running for president in the May 2026 election. His alleged actions disqualify him from holding the highest office and serving as the guardian of the nation’s laws and assets.
2) Criminal Prosecution: We formally demand that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his network of cronies, along with all business people who illegally acquired the looted public lands, be held criminally accountable and face immediate prosecution.
3) International Intervention: Given the systematic nature of the crimes and the clear breakdown of domestic checks and balances, international bodies, including the UN Special Rapporteur on IDPs and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, must press for accountability. Furthermore, the systematic forced displacement resulting from the land grab must be assessed by international legal bodies, including the International Criminal Court (ICC), to determine if it meets the threshold for a Crime Against Humanity.
The IDP camps of Mogadishu are a direct consequence of a corrupted regime, and the constitutional crisis is a tool to perpetuate that corruption. The time for political maneuvering is over; the time for decisive accountability and justice has come.
Abdiqani Haji Abdi
Email: Hajiabdi0128@gmail.com