Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced on Friday that his government has imposed a strict ban on carrying weapons in the streets of Mogadishu, the nation’s capital. Speaking during a Friday‑prayers sermon inside his presidential compound, he said, “One cannot justify having machine guns mounted on vehicles and rocket‑propelled grenades in the streets for protection from a hidden al‑Shabab militant armed with a pistol.” He warned that anyone who violates the ban will face consequences: “We will fight against those who fail to abide by the measures.”
The president also prohibited traders from importing any military gear, including uniforms, boots and equipment. “No businessman can bring any kind of military gear into the country, let alone weapons. Traders cannot even import Abdi Bile vehicles,” he added. Abdi Bile is the local name for a Toyota pickup named after a Somali‑American runner who won the 1,500‑metre World Championship in 1987; the vehicle is popular in Somalia for mounting self‑propelled anti‑aircraft guns.
Security experts view the ban as a significant step toward restoring stability in Mogadishu, which has lacked a reliable security framework since the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991. “Since that collapse, there has not been a single effective security plan for the city. Banning weapons from the streets is a positive sign,” said General Mohamed Farah Aliyow, a veteran Somali military officer and Toronto‑based security analyst. Once known as the “White Pearl of the Indian Ocean,” the densely populated seaside capital has long been saturated with firearms. Business owners, government officials, lawmakers and private security firms have all maintained armed guards, and small arms continue to be sold, albeit less openly than before.
Hours before the weapons ban was announced, government media declared the start of the second phase of the war against al‑Shabab in the central Hiran region. The Somali National Army, supported by local clan militias, seized several villages from the militants early Friday. Hiran regional governor Ali Jeyte Osman said the liberated areas had been al‑Shabab hideouts rather than strongholds and pledged to pursue the fighters west of Beledweyne. He listed the villages of Berhano, Tarejento, Burdaar and Nuur‑Fanah—south of Beledweyne, a town about 300 km north of Mogadishu—as now under army control.
The Ministry of Information reported that, in the first phase of operations from August 2022 through January 2023, 3,000 al‑Shabab militants were killed, 3,700 injured, and 70 towns and villages liberated. The militant group, however, claimed that the first phase had failed, and independent verification of casualty figures remains unavailable. In a March interview with VOA’s Somali Service, national security adviser Hussein Sheikh Ali said that Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya would send additional troops to support Somali forces in the second phase, though the timing of their arrival is unclear.
Abdiaziz Ahmed contributed to this report from Mogadishu.
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