Mogadishu Mayor Orders Demolition of Illegal Structures, Gives 7-Day Evacuation Notice

By Asha Elmi - Reporter

Somalia, January 24, 2026 Mogadishu Mayor Hassan Mohamed Hussein ‘Mungab’ has issued a seven-day ultimatum to residents and businesses on road reserve, warning of demolition if they fail to comply.

Speaking on Saturday at a foundation-laying ceremony for the Abdiqasim Road in the city’s Hodan district, the mayor stated that the Benadir Regional Administration would no longer tolerate private encroachments on public infrastructure.

"We want every person who has encroached on this road to be identified," Hussein told residents. "The district commissioner and the land management technical department are ordered to mark these structures with paint and provide a seven-day notice. After that, anyone who has not vacated will have their structures demolished."

The directive marks a significant escalation in the city’s urban renewal campaign, which seeks to modernize the capital’s infrastructure.

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In a stern message to those claiming legal ownership of plots within the road’s designated path, the mayor declared that any existing land titles for these specific areas are now void.

"I am declaring here that such claims are cancelled. I will issue the formal cancellation papers," Hussein said. "This is a public road, and you do not have private rights to it. Your only right is the right of passage—to walk or drive on it like everyone else."

Construction on the Abdiqasim corridor is expected to begin immediately following the expiration of the seven-day warning period.

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Mogadishu Mayor Orders Demolition of Illegal Structures, Gives 7-Day Evacuation Notice

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