Somalia, 3 October 2025 – Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Friday reiterated a government directive banning pickup trucks mounted with heavy machine guns, saying they will not be allowed in Mogadishu.
“No one will be permitted to drive within the city in a pickup truck carrying a heavy machine gun,” the president said in his Friday address at the presidential mosque.
Hassan Sheikh described such vehicles as a visible symbol of insecurity that undermines public confidence.
He said he had personally stopped using them himself, while noting that the Council of Ministers had already issued formal directives on the matter.
The President stressed that the decision was not aimed at any particular group but insisted there is no justification for using such vehicles, which he said were sometimes used for “show.”
He added that security in the capital had significantly improved, adding that no major security incidents have been reported in Mogadishu in the recent past.
The Council of Ministers has previously passed measures banning heavy weaponry in the city, while allowing the use of light arms under strict regulation.