Mogadishu (WDN) — Members of Somalia’s Custodial Corps closed roads leading to and from Mogadishu’s Central Prison on Thursday, protesting what they say are nearly two years of unpaid salaries and outstanding employment rights.

The guards said they have continued performing their duties despite going without regular pay, leaving them struggling to support themselves and their families. Their action, they stressed, was not a refusal to work but a desperate attempt to force the government to address their grievances.

“We have continued working for the government without receiving our rights,” some of the guards told the media, saying they had repeatedly raised the issue with the relevant authorities without receiving a satisfactory response.

A Protest Born of Desperation

The prolonged absence of salaries has placed serious financial pressure on the guards and their families. They said repeated appeals to officials produced neither a solution nor a clear explanation for the delays, prompting them to block access to the prison.

The protest highlights a striking contradiction: personnel responsible for guarding prisoners and protecting a critical state institution say they have themselves been left without the basic financial support owed to them by the state.

The guards said they remain ready to perform their duties and want the dispute resolved through dialogue and payment of legitimate outstanding salaries.

The protest raises questions about why salary arrears have reportedly been allowed to accumulate for such an extended period and how many security personnel may be affected.

Reported: The guards say they have made several attempts to bring their concerns to government officials and other responsible authorities but have received no response capable of resolving the dispute.

The government has yet to provide a detailed explanation of the alleged arrears, including whether administrative, financial or payroll problems are responsible. The Somali Custodial Corps has also not publicly provided a detailed account of the situation.

A Warning Beyond the Prison

The incident carries significance beyond the prison itself. When security personnel responsible for maintaining order resort to public protest over unpaid wages, it can expose deeper weaknesses in government administration, morale and institutional accountability.

The guards have made clear that they do not want to abandon their responsibilities. They are demanding recognition of their grievances and a credible plan to resolve them.

The most striking aspect of the protest is its human dimension. These are Somali security personnel who have chosen to serve the state and are expected to protect prisoners, secure facilities and uphold public order. Yet they say they have gone for nearly two years without the wages on which their families depend.

The immediate priority should therefore be a transparent explanation of the alleged salary arrears, verification of the personnel affected and a clear timetable for resolving legitimate outstanding payments.

For now, the gates of Mogadishu’s Central Prison have become a symbol of a wider institutional problem: a state cannot reasonably expect unwavering service from its security personnel while leaving their most basic employment rights unresolved. The next move belongs to the government.

WardheerNews