Somali security officers evict 21,000 people in Mogadishu – HRW

The Somali security forces have forcibly evicted about 21,000 displaced people in the capital, Mogadishu, in early March 2015, United States based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday.

According to the rights group, the authorities beat some of those evicted on March 4 and 5, destroyed their shelters, and left them without water, food, or other assistance.

Many of those affected had fled their homes during the 2011 famine and fighting, and have been repeatedly displaced since then.

HRW, in a statement issued in Nairobi on Monday, urged the Somali authorities to cease forcibly evicting displaced people in Mogadishu, and adequately protect and assist them.

“The Somali government has done next to nothing over the last three years to address the miserable and unsafe living conditions for Mogadishu’s thousands of displaced people,â€� said Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director at HRW.

In the statement, HRW claim to have spoken with 17 camp residents and six other witnesses to the March evictions and analyzed satellite imagery of the area recorded between February 27 and April 9.

Aid organizations estimate that 1.1 million people throughout Somalia are displaced, including an estimated 370,000 in Mogadishu.

AFP