Cultural Suppression, Land Grabs, and Misuse of Development Funds: The Plight of Somalia’s Minority Communities.
Minority Farms
Somalia’s minority groups, including the Barawani, Mushunguli, and Baajuuni, face systemic marginalization and a series of interrelated challenges that continue to threaten their livelihoods, cultural preservation, and access to ancestral lands. This report examines these challenges in the context of political dynamics, economic pressures, and the misuse of international development funds, all of which have exacerbated their already precarious position in Somali society.
Marginalization and Cultural Suppression
The Barawani community in.lower shabelle region in Somalia, has endured a long history of exclusion and cultural suppression. A significant recent example of this suppression occurred in April 2020, when authorities in South West State banned Radio Barawe from broadcasting in the Barawi dialect. This action was widely criticized as an attempt to erase the linguistic and cultural identity of the Barawani people. According to reports from the local media outlets, such actions represent a broader trend of diminishing minority languages in Somalia, creating a serious threat to the cultural heritage of these communities, where the Maay Maay clan flexes their muscles to dominate and aims to extint other clans.
The recent armed confrontations in Barawe demonstrates serious competitions for survival and superiority amongst different clans in Barawe, where the regional administration in Baidoa is working and support the interest of the Maay Maay clan who aim to displace the Barawani minority and affect demographic change in the area, posing existential threat to the Barwani people. Similarly, the Maay Maay are waging brutal war against GelJe’el clan in Yaaqbiriweyne district (that became recently an attractive popular market) in the lower shabelle region. This war has same objectives of the war in Barawe (displacing non-rahanweyn clans and replacing them with Maay Maay).
Cultural suppression is further compounded by the political and socio-economic marginalization of the Barawani. With limited political representation and restricted access to resources, the Barawani people are often left without a voice in the broader Somali political discourse. As local human rights organisations documented, Somalia’s minority communities face significant barriers to participation in political decision-making, leaving them vulnerable to policies that undermine their rights.
Land Grabs and Economic Displacement
In the regions surrounding Kismayo, the Baajuuni, Galje’el and Mushunguli communities have been disproportionately affected by land dispossession. A series of land transactions facilitated by Sheikh Ahmed Madobe, the leader of Jubaland, reportedly sold islands and farmlands to foreign entities, particularly from the United Arab Emirates UAE, without consulting local communities. These deals have stripped the Baajuuni, Galje’el and Mushunguli of their ancestral lands (which include the famous islands) which are vital for sustaining their agricultural livelihoods according to local clan elders in Kismayo.
As local media outlets reported, land grabbing in Somalia is a growing issue that disproportionately impacts minority communities. The powerful political elites, backed by external investors, world bank development funds and the humanitarian aid have the leverage to push through these transactions, leaving indigenous communities disenfranchised and economically displaced. Without adequate representation or legal recourse, the Baajuuni and Mushunguli are often powerless to contest these transactions, resulting in the loss of their lands and livelihoods.
Demographic Manipulation through Misuse of Development Funds
The manipulation of international development funds is another significant issue facing minority groups in Somalia. Development funds, which are intended to improve economic and social outcomes, are frequently diverted to serve the political interests of dominant clans. Reports by local human rights activists and journalists have highlighted the misuse of these funds in South West and Jubaland states, where they have been used to alter the demographic makeup of regions, displacing minority communities in favor of dominant groups and external investors. In Jubaland, Sheikh Ahmed Madoobe reportedly airlifted 5,000 families from his clan members, from Ethiopia Somali Killil and resettled them around kismayo area (forcefully displacing other clans)
This demographic manipulation not only displaces minority groups but also exacerbates their exclusion from essential services and land rights, further deepening the cycle of marginalization. Transparency International’s reports have emphasized the need for stronger oversight mechanisms to ensure that development funds are used equitably and do not contribute to further inequality in Somalia.
Taken – all – together: Previpusly human rights violatters in Somalia were only limited to state (the government) and non-state actors e.g., al-shabab, but new actors have joined e.g., United Arab Emirates UAE, Kenyan Defence Forces KDF and the National Ethiopian Defence Forces ENDF. Somalia’s minority communities—particularly the Barawani, Mushunguli, and Baajuuni—face numerous challenges rooted in political exclusion, economic exploitation, and cultural suppression. Land grabs, cultural erasure, and the manipulation of development funds have placed these communities in increasingly vulnerable positions. It is critical that international actors and Somali policymakers address these systemic issues by enforcing minority rights and ensuring that development initiatives are inclusive, fair, and transparent. Without such intervention, these communities risk being further marginalized and erased from Somalia’s socio-political landscape.
HANAHR Human Rights Team