Land Grab Linked To The Former Ruling Family Sparks Controversy In Somalia

A leaked document obtained by Halgan Media reveals the daughter of late president Mohamed Siad Barre was granted 12 hectares of fertile land in the volatile Lower Shabelle province of Somalia this past Monday.

Per the document seen by Halgan Media, Ijaabo Mohamed Siad Barre was granted rights over the land on April 12th under the pretext that Ijaabo Mohamed had ownership of the disputed farming land going as far back as February of 1990, which was just 11 months prior to the collapse of Somalia’s last functioning central government.

Judiciary officials from Somalia’s semi autonomous Southwest regional state that leaked the document to Halgan Media and spoke on condition of anonymity lambasted the courts findings and stated that the claims of ownership by Ijaabo Mohamed Siad Barre where baseless but passed by the courts due to pressure from the Southwest regional state, which the judiciary officials firmly believe came on the behest of Villa Somalia.

Leaked document from the Lower Shabelle Court

The 12 hectares of fertile land that sits on the banks of the Shabelle river and adjacent to the district of Afgoye is inhabited by the Geladi sub clan, which is part of the larger Digil and Mirif umbrella. This area is home to countless farming communities and was historically known as Somalia’s bread basket prior to the country’s collapse in the early 90’s.

In recent years, the region has been pivotal in producing crops that are distributed throughout the country, particularly the capital Mogadishu and remains one of the few fertile farming grounds in southern Somalia, that is not in the control of Al Shabaab and therefore remains a lucrative commodity.

In October of last year, Diriye Mohamed Siad Barre, the son of Somalia’s former president and a member of the once powerful ruling family was (illegally) allocated large chunks of fertile land in the same area (Afgoye), with full backing of the current ruling government. This was followed by a large scale expulsion of civilians, which saw hundreds of people displaced from there homes, leading to public outcry and disgust. (click this link for more information).

Somalia’s former ruling family led by Mohamed Siad Barre presided over the country for 21 years before being overthrown by various armed rebel groups in January of 1991.

Former president Mohamed Siad Barre & company.

The current president of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has strong blood ties to the forming ruling family and continues to use his power to secure lucrative deals for close kin as witnessed with the recent looting of farm land near Afgoye.

Halgan Media