BELEDWEYNE (Kaab TV) – A Djiboutian soldier serving with the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) was shot and killed in Buuloburde district, Hiiraan region, last Wednesday [27 August], according to local security officials.
The soldier was reportedly shot by a member of the Ma’awisley militia from the Xawaadle clan while at a tea shop in the area.
According to local authorities, the incident followed a dispute between the Djiboutian soldier and a local woman at the shop.
“The Djiboutian soldier made sexually inappropriate remarks to the woman. A man from the Ma’awisley militia heard this and confronted him, warning him once and then again,” said Saalax Maxamed, a member of the local administration.
When the soldier repeated the comment, the man shot him twice in the head. The Djiboutian soldier died at the scene.
An eyewitness said the killer walked away after the shooting.
The Djiboutian military command in Beledweyne has not commented on the incident.
The identity of the soldier has not been released.
The incident has sparked widespread debate among Somalis, with many young people on social media condemning the soldier’s behavior as unacceptable for a foreign soldiers in the country.
However, there has also been criticism over the response, particularly the use of lethal force.
Djibouti contributes up to 1,520 troops to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which replaced the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
The Djiboutian contingent, part of Sector 4, is based in Beledweyne, the capital of Hiiraan region, and is also stationed in Buuloburde and Jalalaqsi.
In the past, African Union (AU) forces deployed in Somalia have faced multiple accusations of sexual violence and harassment against women.
Reports from various local communities and human rights organizations have highlighted incidents where women and girls were subjected to abuse, exploitation, and coercion by the AU troops, often with little accountability.
These allegations have fueled mistrust between local populations and peacekeeping forces, raising serious concerns about the protection of civilians.