Death sentences and executions in Somalia
Somalia executes more people than any other country in sub-Saharan Africa — in 2023 it was the only one that executed anyone. Most are shot by firing squad after trial in military courts, in Mogadishu and in Puntland, for Al-Shabaab membership; others are soldiers and policemen convicted of killing civilians, and men convicted of murder under qisas. Some have been children. Some were convicted, sentenced and shot on the same day. No Somali authority publishes a count. This register does.
By year
Figures are the minimums that can be sourced; "not compiled" means no reliable count exists yet, not that there were none. Years with no line have not yet been researched.
| Year | Executions | Death sentences | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | at least 2 confirmed (16 Feb), with others reported the same week; count in progress | at least 2 (Mar, Sep) | Two men shot in Mogadishu on 16 February; the court was reported to have executed others in the preceding days. Death sentences in March (a NISA soldier, Afgooye killing) and September (an army captain, Luuq killing, qisas). kaabtv.com |
| 2025 | at least 11 (Somaliland 2 in March; South West 1 in May; Mogadishu military court 3 on 7 Aug, 3 on 14 Aug, 2 on 25 Aug); more reported | not compiled | Somaliland executed two in March; South West State summarily executed a man for murder on 21 May under qisas; the federal military court shot three Al-Shabaab members on 7 August (named), three on 14 August, and two on 25 August (named), with Somali media reporting further executions in between. theadvocatesforhumanrights.org |
| 2024 | at least 14 (Oct 2023–Jan 2024) plus Puntland's 10 in August; annual total not compiled | not compiled | Puntland's military court sentenced and executed ten Al-Shabaab fighters by firing squad on 17 August; UNICEF's age verification found four were minors when arrested. Military courts continued to sentence people to death. euaa.europa.eu |
| 2023 | at least 55 (other sources: more than 38) | more than 31 | Somalia was the only country in sub-Saharan Africa to carry out executions in 2023. Executions more than tripled on 2022. Twenty-three of the 55 were by military authorities in Puntland and Mogadishu. On 8 March the federal military court shot 13 Al-Shabaab members and 5 soldiers; on 10 November a soldier in Baidoa was convicted, sentenced and executed the same day, with no appeal. euaa.europa.eu |
| 2021 | at least 21 in one day | not compiled | Puntland executed 21 Al-Shabaab fighters by firing squad on 27 June 2021. bbc.com |
| 2017 | at least 11 in April alone | not compiled | Military courts executed eleven people in April: a policeman and a soldier for killing civilians, four Al-Shabaab members for the Baidoa bombings, and five young men in Bossaso whom Amnesty said were too young to be tried as adults and had been tortured into confessing. The EU delegation asked for a moratorium. voanews.com |
Cases
| Date | Who | Authority | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09 | Captain 'Dhashiike' (sentenced, not yet executed) | Federal military court, first instance | Sentenced to death by firing squad under qisas for shooting Cabdicasiis Sheekh Xuseen dead in Luuq, Gedo, on 15 May 2026, in a quarrel over a cigarette lighter. | caasimada.net |
| 2026-03 | Mukhtaar Shakuur Amiin, NISA soldier (sentenced, not yet executed) | Federal military court | Sentenced to death for killing Fatxi Cabdullahi Cabdi in Afgooye, Lower Shabelle, on 16 February 2026. | somaliaonline.com |
| 2026-02-16 | Xasan Cali Iftiin Buule ('Gacmey') and Xasan Cali Ibraahim Maxamed Axmed ('Baari') | Federal military court, Mogadishu | Shot by firing squad for killings and bombings in Mogadishu. Reports noted the court had carried out other executions in the preceding days, and that others under sentence of death — Al-Shabaab members and government soldiers — remained in custody. | kaabtv.com |
| 2025-08-25 | Anas Cabdiqaadir Cali Maxamuud ('Salmaan') and Aadan Mursal Maxamed Iidoow | Federal military court | Al-Shabaab members shot by firing squad for the killing of clan elders in Gaalkacyo; reports said similar executions had taken place days earlier and that executions of Al-Shabaab prisoners were being carried out with increasing speed. | radiorisaala.com |
| 2025-08-14 | Three Al-Shabaab members | Federal military court, Mogadishu | Shot at Tiirka Caddaalada for attacks in Mogadishu and Lower Shabelle; the court said the executions were 'a warning to others'. May be the same men as the 7 August execution, reported on a different date; OPR is checking. | allafrica.com |
| 2025-08-07 | Qudaama Xamze Yuusuf Maxamed ('Yaxye'), Cabdi Xasan Rooble ('Afeey'), Ibraahim Cumar Shamcuun ('Hubka') | Federal military court, Mogadishu | Al-Shabaab members shot by firing squad at the police academy grounds for planned killings of civilians and soldiers in Mogadishu and Lower Shabelle. Kaab TV noted that executions had become rare in recent years and that many men under sentence of death remained in Mogadishu's prisons. | kaabtv.com |
| 2025-05-21 | A man convicted of murder | South West State | Arrested, tried, sentenced and executed on the same day under qisas. | theadvocatesforhumanrights.org |
| 2024-08-17 | Ten Al-Shabaab fighters, four of them minors when arrested | Puntland military court | Executed by firing squad; UNICEF's Puntland Age Verification Committee had found four were children at the time of arrest. The UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict condemned the executions. | euaa.europa.eu |
| 2023-11-10 | A soldier | Military court, Baidoa | Convicted, sentenced to death and executed on the same day, with no opportunity to appeal. | euaa.europa.eu |
| 2023-03-08 | Thirteen Al-Shabaab members and five soldiers | Federal military court, Mogadishu | Executed by firing squad in one session. | theadvocatesforhumanrights.org |
| 2021-06-27 | Twenty-one Al-Shabaab fighters | Puntland military court | Executed by firing squad in one day. | bbc.com |
| 2017-04-08 | Five young men, Bossaso | Puntland military court | Executed by firing squad for killing officials; Amnesty said they were too young to be tried as adults, had been tortured into confessing, and had no lawyers. Puntland's appeals court chief denied they were minors. | voanews.com |
What the law and the record show
The 1962 Penal Code and the military courts allow death for terrorism, murder and a range of military offences; the military courts try civilians, which Somalia's own constitution does not permit. Trials are often summary — hours between arrest and verdict — with no counsel, no interpreter for those who need one, and no effective appeal. Executions frequently follow within days, sometimes the same day. Confessions are broadcast on television before trial. Age is not reliably verified: Puntland has executed people that UNICEF's own age-verification committee found were children when arrested. Al-Shabaab, in the territory it holds, carries out its own executions by firing squad and stoning; those are documented separately and are not counted here.
Open questions
- How many people were executed in Somalia in 2024, 2025 and 2026, by which court, and where?
- How many people are currently under sentence of death in Mogadishu Central Prison, Bossaso, Garowe and Baidoa?
- How many of those executed since 2017 were under eighteen at the time of the offence?
- How many executions followed a same-day trial, and how many defendants had a lawyer?
- Who are the executed — names, ages, home regions — and were their families told and given the bodies?
Tell OPR
If a relative was sentenced to death or executed, if you witnessed a trial or an execution, or if you work in a court or prison: give a testimony, pitch a piece, or WhatsApp OPR at +252 61 977 5580. Names of the dead, with a date and a place, are what this register needs most.