Monday November 24, 2025
Deputy Military Prosecutor Lt. Col. Ahmed Haji Abdullahi Kamey appears in this undated file photo during a media briefing. He has accused unnamed lawmakers of aiding clan militias with weapons, money and public support. (HOL/File)
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s Military Court is preparing a request to the Federal Parliament to lift the immunity of several lawmakers accused of supporting clan militias involved in deadly violence in Lower Shabelle, in what could mark a significant test of legal accountability for elected officials.
Deputy Military Prosecutor Lt. Col. Ahmed Haji Abdullahi Kamey said investigators have gathered substantial evidence showing that unnamed members of Parliament supplied militias with money, weapons and ammunition, and openly defended their actions on social media. He said the officials are believed to have ties to both sides of the conflict between Wanlaweyn and Yaqbariweyne.
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“There are officials with parliamentary immunity who provide militias with weapons, cash and public support, including defense on social media,” Kamey said in Yaqbariweyne, an area under Wanlaweyn district.Evidence collected by prosecutors reportedly links the lawmakers to militia operations that have fueled recurring clashes, disrupted transport routes and widened clan tensions in southern Somalia. Kamey said the evidence will be submitted to the Speaker of Parliament and the Parliamentary Ethics Committee, seeking approval to strip the officials of immunity before prosecution.
Under Somalia’s legal system, lawmakers cannot be brought before a court unless Parliament first lifts their immunity.
The move follows heightened efforts by Somali authorities to curb clan-based armed groups blamed for killings along the Wanlaweyn–Yaqbariweyne corridor over the past two years. On Saturday, the Military Court sentenced several militia members to death and imprisonment for their role in those attacks.
The proposed action against members of Parliament signals the government’s attempt to enforce accountability and prevent public officials from fueling local conflict.
If approved, the case would mark one of the first attempts to prosecute sitting lawmakers accused of aiding clan militias, potentially setting a legal precedent in Somalia’s efforts to strengthen the rule of law.