Somalia's Human Rights Record Under Review at UN: UPR Working Group Examines Forced Evictions, Protest Crackdowns, Aid Restrictions

Somalia's human rights record was examined by the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group in Geneva on May 8, 2026 — Somalia's fourth such review, scheduled 09:00–12:30 GMT+2 in the Palais des Nations Assembly Hall. The Somali delegation was led by Minister of Family and Human Rights Development Ms. Khadija Al-Makhzoumi. Rapporteur countries (the troika) were Angola, Colombia, and Vietnam. The UPR review came at an acutely sensitive moment: it occurred one week after at least 6 civilians were killed by Mogadishu police in Dayniile district land evictions (May 7), amid ongoing detentions and reported abuse of protesters — including the documented case of Sadia Moalim Ali, a 27-year-old woman activist arrested by NISA on April 12 and subjected to reported torture — and against the backdrop of 1.9 million children facing acute malnutrition as aid funding was slashed. Human rights organizations including Amnesty International had submitted shadow reports documenting extrajudicial killings during forced evictions, suppression of peaceful protests, arbitrary detention, and Al-Shabaab's humanitarian access restrictions in areas under its control. OHCHR noted the review would also consider Somalia's compliance with previous UPR recommendations from the 2021 cycle. Adoption of recommendations is scheduled for May 15, 2026 — the same day as President Mohamud's constitutional term expiry.