MOGADISHU (Kaab TV) – Women and teenagers living in displacement camps around Mogadishu say they are being terrorized and coerced by individuals claiming to represent Somalia’s so-called Independent Electoral Commission in an effort to forcefully register them for a controversial vote.
Maryan Jeylani Maye, a mother of seven residing in a makeshift shelter on the outskirts of the capital, says she was kidnapped, forced into a vehicle, and threatened with the loss of food assistance if she did not register and have her photo taken.
“They told us we should register in order to receive food,” Maryan recounted.
“After they took our photos and names, they said it’s for a vote—and that we must vote for Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.”
Similar accounts have emerged from IDP communities in the Weydow area, Dayniile, and Kaxda districts.
Residents say local district commissioners gathered groups of displaced people and transported them by bus for registration.
Saido Mohamud, another IDP woman, said they were promised $25 in mobile money after registering but received nothing.
“They told us we’d get $25 via EVC if we registered, but we went home empty-handed,” she said, adding that the middleman in charge allegedly stole the money.
Maryan described the entire operation as a deceitful tactic that preyed on vulnerable people through false promises of aid.
“It’s a trap. They used food to manipulate us,” she said.
Somalia currently has more than 3.45 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), most of whom were forced from their homes due to conflict, drought, and floods.
According to the Danish Refugee Council, approximately 84% of Somalia’s IDPs live in urban areas, with Mogadishu alone hosting between 400,000 and 518,000 people.
Many reside in overcrowded, informal settlements without secure shelter, food, or access to healthcare.
Malnutrition remains widespread, particularly among children and pregnant women.
Girls and young women in these settlements face increased vulnerability to exploitation.
Aid workers and community members report incidents of forced labor, sexual violence, and prostitution linked to extreme poverty and hunger.
The lack of protection mechanisms only deepens the risks.
Universities in Mogadishu have also raised concerns about similar pressure tactics. Administrators say they have received threats from the same commission, warning that institutions refusing to register students, lecturers, and staff will face punitive action, including closure and the use of security forces.
Opposition MP Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame condemned the reports, calling the commission’s actions “disgraceful” and “illegitimate.”
In a statement posted to social media, he wrote: “We strongly condemn the disgraceful act by the one-sided electoral committee pressuring universities in the capital to forcibly register students, lecturers, and university staff. The committee has threatened any university that refuses to comply with their decision, warning that they will take action against them using security forces.”
The commission, which was formed in late 2024 by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, is led by Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan—a member of the president’s political party and campaign officer.
Former friends also say Abdikarin was a former fighter in the Hawiye militia that played a key role in Mogadishu’s destruction during the 1991 civil war.
When contacted by this reporter, neither Abdikarim nor the commission responded to requests for comment.
The commission’s formation and planned electoral process have been widely rejected by opposition parties and two federal member states namely Puntland and Jubaland.
With elections expected ahead of the 2026 deadline marking the end of President Mohamud’s term, many critics fear the process is a pretext to extend his rule—risking renewed instability in Somalia’s fragile political landscape.