Somalia: Soldier mutiny in Mogadishu May 18

Event

Some 100 soldiers from the Somali army reportedly erected barricades around the Defense Ministry headquarters in the capital Mogadishu and took control of the building on Thursday, May 18. Soldiers were protesting to demand the payment of wage arrears. According to a Somali journalist, the mutiny occurred days after new President FIRST NAME Farmajo promised the regular payment of salaries. Further protests with the potential to turn violent are possible in the coming days.

Context

In March 2017, soldiers held a similar protest to demand the payments of 15 months of salary arrears and blocked several roads in Mogadishu. Delays in the payment of salaries are a recurrent problem throughout Somalia, where soldiers face a significant threat from Al-Shabaab militants.

Mogadishu is the theater of frequent attacks by Al-Shabaab, which continues to control large zones in the south and center of the country. The group often targets government officials and military infrastructure in a bid to topple the Western- and United Nations-backed government and impose its own strict interpretation of Islam in Somalia.

Advice

Due to extremely poor security conditions, Western governments generally advise their citizens against all travel to Somalia; professional security advice and support should be sought prior to travel.