Mogadishu (Somalia Today) — Somalia’s Military Court is preparing to ask Parliament to lift the immunity of several lawmakers accused of bankrolling clan militias behind deadly clashes in Lower Shabelle. The move could reshape how the country treats alleged abuses by elected officials.
Prosecutors say the MPs supplied money, weapons, and political cover to fighters involved in recurrent violence along the Wanlaweyn–Yaqbariweyne corridor.
The planned request would put Somalia MPs linked to clan warfare under direct legal scrutiny. It will test whether Parliament is prepared to set aside constitutional protections for legislators when prosecutors say they help fuel local conflicts.
The move follows a sweeping ruling on November 22, 2025, when the same court handed down multiple death sentences and prison terms over a series of brutal attacks near Wanlaweyn that shocked the country.
Immunity under scrutiny
Deputy Military Prosecutor Lt. Col. Ahmed Haji Abdullahi Kamey said investigators have gathered “substantial evidence” against unnamed members of Parliament. They allegedly sent cash, guns, and ammunition to opposing clan forces and then publicly defended their actions on social media.
He spoke in Yaqbariweyne, an area in Wanlaweyn district in Lower Shabelle. Recent clashes there have blocked traffic and deepened local tensions.
“Some officials with parliamentary immunity provide militias with weapons, cash and public support, including defence on social media,” Kamey said, without naming the lawmakers.
He added that the officials are believed to have ties to rival sides in the long-running dispute between communities in Wanlaweyn and Yaqbariweyne.
According to prosecutors, evidence collected so far links the MPs to militia operations. They say those militias set up illegal checkpoints, extorted travellers, and attacked rival communities along the main road between Mogadishu and Baidoa.
Officials argue that these activities have repeatedly disrupted trade and transport in southern Somalia and widened mistrust between neighbouring clans.
Kamey said his office will now send the case file to the Speaker of the House of the People and the Parliamentary Ethics Committee. Prosecutors will request authorisation to strip the MPs of immunity so the court can bring formal charges.
Somalia’s legal framework prevents the prosecution or detention of lawmakers unless Parliament first votes to lift their protection.
Parliament under pressure
The coming weeks will show whether Parliament is willing to expose its own members to prosecution in a case that touches both security and clan politics.
Lifting immunity would require a majority of MPs. The vote could trigger fierce debate in the chamber, where many lawmakers rely on clan alliances and local power brokers.
Supporters of the move argue that it would send a clear signal. In their view, elected officials cannot secretly arm local fighters while presenting themselves as national leaders in Mogadishu.
Critics of Somalia’s justice system, however, worry about the role of the Military Court. Rights groups say it has a history of trying civilians under procedures that fall short of international fair-trial standards.
Somalia’s Military Court has, for more than a decade, handled sensitive cases involving al-Shabaab, security forces, and civilians accused of serious offences. Judges have issued death sentences and long prison terms in high-profile terrorism trials.
The government praises the court’s speed, but critics denounce the use of capital punishment and what they describe as limited access to defence lawyers.
Any trial of sitting lawmakers for aiding clan militias would push the court into even more politically sensitive territory.
It would also highlight the blurred line between formal state forces, community-based fighters, and clan leaders. In many areas, local militias act as both security partners and spoilers.
Deadly Wanlaweyn corridor
The case against the MPs is unfolding as authorities intensify operations against clan-based armed groups blamed for a string of killings in Lower Shabelle.
The region, southwest of Mogadishu, has become one of Somalia’s most contested areas. Federal troops, South West State forces, al-Shabaab cells, and clan militias all compete for control of roads and farmland.
The Wanlaweyn–Yaqbariweyne corridor has emerged as a flashpoint because it sits on the main artery linking the capital to Baidoa.
Militia groups have erected informal checkpoints to collect “taxes” from trucks carrying food, fuel, and passengers. Neighbouring communities accuse each other of using the road to move weapons and fighters.
On Saturday, November 22, the First-Degree Court of the Armed Forces issued some of its trickiest sentences yet over recent bloodshed in the area.
The court sentenced nine men to death by firing squad after finding them guilty of a mass killing at Warta Cismaan, about eight kilometres from Wanlaweyn, where twelve people were shot dead.
According to the ruling, the same men also took part in the gruesome burning to death of Isaaq Daa’uud Maxamed near the town.
In the same ruling, judges handed death sentences in absentia to six other defendants who are still at large. The court said they carried out an attack near Ceelka Yaaqbariweyne that left five people dead and five others wounded. It also linked them to other acts, including roadblocks that targeted travellers.
A further group of defendants received five-year military prison terms for taking part in the killing in which the victim was burned.
The court said they helped prepare or support the attack, even if they did not fire the fatal shots. Four other men walked free after judges ruled that prosecutors had failed to prove the charges against them.
Rule of law at stake
If Parliament approves the prosecutors’ request, it would mark one of the first attempts in the current political cycle to prosecute sitting MPs accused of aiding clan militias.
Legal analysts say the case could set an important precedent and test how far Somali institutions are willing to go to curb impunity at the top of the political system.
“Parliamentary immunity is meant to protect free debate, not to shield serious crimes,” said Hussein Ali, a Mogadishu-based constitutional lawyer. “If the allegations are proven, lifting immunity would be a step toward the rule of law.”
Rights advocates, however, caution that any prosecutions must meet basic fair-trial standards.
Somalia has pledged in recent human rights reviews to strengthen civilian courts and gradually move serious crime and terrorism cases away from the military system. Those promises followed years of criticism over summary proceedings and capital punishment.
For now, the Military Court is following two tracks. It is handing down harsh sentences for killings around Wanlaweyn and preparing a case against MPs accused of fuelling the violence. Together, those steps underscore the pressure on Somalia’s political class.
The vote will show how much appetite there is in Mogadishu for accountability. It will reveal whether MPs are ready to act when allegations point inward, not just at insurgent groups.
