Mogadishu Shopkeepers Fearful of Deadly Consequences Over CCTV Mandate
In Mogadishu, Somalia’s bustling capital, shopkeepers find themselves in a perilous dilemma over a government directive requiring surveillance cameras outside their businesses. The policy aims to curb the influence of the militant group al-Shabab but has left business owners fearing for their lives.
Caught Between Two Deadly Choices
Hamza Nuur, a former shop owner, sits at home, reflecting on the tough decision he had to make. At 48, he sold his business to avoid being targeted by either al-Shabab insurgents or the security forces enforcing the camera mandate.
“One side says, ‘Don’t take the cameras down,’ and the other says, ‘Take them down.’ Either way, it could mean death or imprisonment,” Hamza explains.
Introduced last year, the government initiative mandates shop owners to install cameras at their own expense. Officials argue that the cameras have significantly reduced bombings in the city. Mogadishu’s Deputy Mayor, Mohamed Ahmed Diriye, credits the policy for the decline in attacks, telling the BBC Africa Daily podcast, “The number of bombings has dropped dramatically. It used to be four or five a month, but now it’s much less.”
But this claim offers little comfort to residents and business owners, many of whom now live in fear. Al-Shabab has killed at least four business owners since October in retaliation for complying with the directive, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (Acled).
“Living in Fear Every Day”
Shopkeepers like Nuur have faced intense pressure from both sides. Initially, he resisted installing a camera, but security forces threatened him, leaving him no choice.
“I told them I couldn’t afford to get involved, but they got angry and said they’d ruin my life,” Nuur recalls. Soon after the installation, he began receiving threatening calls. He switched phone numbers, but one morning, a young man walked into his shop, lifted his shirt to reveal a pistol, and ordered him to reactivate his old SIM card.
The caller on the other end warned him against siding with the government. “I prayed silently, wondering if the man would shoot me after the call ended,” Nuur says. Luckily, the man left, but the fear stayed. After witnessing two colleagues killed in October, he closed his shop permanently. “No business is worth more than my life,” he says.
Residents Under Pressure
The government’s mandate has now expanded to private residences, adding to widespread anxiety. In Wajir district, Sidow Abdullahi Mohamed and 14 of his neighbors were detained for failing to comply. They were only released after someone vouched for them.
“We’ve installed cameras now, but we live in constant fear,” Mohamed says. “Is this the way to win public trust?”
For others, reopening their businesses has come with lingering fear. Shopkeeper Ismael Hashi, 33, complied with the directive but was threatened by al-Shabab operatives. He later faced police detention for initially closing his shop. Now, every unfamiliar customer fills him with dread. “The government cannot protect me if someone decides to target me,” he says.
A War Pulled into Civilians’ Lives
The government’s rationale is clear: CCTV cameras could disrupt al-Shabab’s extortion operations, a key funding source. Yet, the policy’s violent repercussions have shut down markets and turned ordinary lives into battlegrounds. Many civilians feel abandoned in this deadly standoff.
Al-Shabab’s insurgency has gripped Somalia for nearly two decades. While the government claims progress, the human cost of these policies is undeniable. Hamza Nuur sums up the sentiment of many: “As civilians, we’re being dragged into a fight we never signed up for.”
