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.

The post Displaced Women in Mogadishu Say They Are Being Coerced Into Electoral Registration appeared first on Kaab TV.

Somalis are predominantly Muslims, and Islam not only promotes the protection of individual rights, but also emphasizes peace, coexistence, and justice.

These values extend to the inclusion and protection of minority groups and vulnerable populations.

In a recent conversation with Baraarug, a civic awareness platform, Mogadishu-based Islamic scholar Sheikh Aadan Moallin and young religious researcher Hassan Abdullahi Abdirahman highlighted the role of Islam in safeguarding the rights of all citizens.

Both speakers underscored the importance of justice and social harmony as core tenets of the faith.

The post Religious Scholar Calls for Peace, Justice and Respect of the Rights of All in Somalia appeared first on Kaab TV.

At around 2:30 PM local time, Mogadishu police attacked five local journalists who were reporting on a group of women protesting in Mogadishu streets against the reported gang rape of a young Somali woman in Nairobi, Kenya and the alleged forced marriage of an underage girl to an older man in Puntland.

These two incidents have sparked public outrage across Somalia in recent days, highlighting the brutal violence that women and girls continue to face.

A police officer from Hodan district, identified as Amin Abukar ‘Muniish,’ along with his officers, arrived as the women protestors—who were chanting “We want justice, and we do not consent to be raped.”—marched from KM4 towards Maka al-Mukarama on Friday. The police dispersed the protestors who were mainly young women and then turned their attention to the journalists, ordering them to stop recording interviews with the protest organizers.

As a result, four journalists—Abdirazak Haji Sidow Nor (cameraman for Himilo TV), Abdullahi Abdukadir Ahmed (reporter for Himilo TV), Abdirizak Abdullahi Adan (reporter for Radio Mustaqbal), and Abdirahman Barre Hussein (cameraman for Radio Mustaqbal)—were arrested and taken to the Hodan district police station. Later, the police also detained female journalist Anisa Abdiaziz Hussein, who was reporting for Himilo TV from the protest.

Four of the journalists interviewed by SJS stated that upon arrival at the police station, their camera equipment was confiscated, and their interviews were deleted. The male journalists were locked in a narrow cell with other detainees, while Anisa was held separately from her male colleagues. The police informed them that they would be released only on the condition that they refrain from covering protests in the future.

Eventually, all five journalists were released, and their equipment was returned.

SJS welcomes the release of the five journalists, however, SJS strongly condemns this blatant violation of press freedom of intimidating journalists, confiscating their equipment and deletion of the material from the protest, which amounts of full censorship of independent media reporting and suppression of peaceful protests. We call for the respect for media freedom and the right to protest. The officers responsible for these actions must be held accountable.

“When Somalia’s Mogadishu police attack journalists and deny women the right to protest against rampant sexual violence, it only proves that the Somali government stands with perpetrators rather than victims. This repression sends a clear message that justice for Somali women who are victims of sexual violence remains out of reach,” said SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin.

“We condemn the unlawful arrest of the five journalists yesterday in Mogadishu, and the violent suppression of women protesting against sexual violence. We urge the Mogadishu authorities to return to the law and order, respect what the Somali constitution says, and uphold press freedom and protect the rights of women instead of siding with violent abusers,” Mr. Mumin adds.

The post Somali Police Arrest Journalists, Disperse Women Protesting Against Sexual Violence appeared first on Kaab TV.