On the shores of Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, six imposing concrete posts stand tall amidst the pristine white sands. Against the backdrop of the bright blue Indian Ocean, these posts often bear witness to somber occurrences.
Content Warning: This article contains descriptions that may be disturbing to some readers.
Periodically, security forces bring individuals to this location, binding them to the posts with plastic ropes, shrouding their heads in black hoods, and executing them by gunfire.
Members of the specially trained firing squad also conceal their identities.
As life ebbs away, the victims’ heads slump forward, while their bodies remain upright, tethered to the poles, their tattered garments fluttering in the breeze.
Some are convicted by military courts for affiliations with the Islamist group al-Shabab, which has instilled fear in Somalia for nearly two decades, holding sway over significant territories.
Others are soldiers found guilty of heinous crimes such as murdering civilians or fellow comrades. Occasionally, common criminals facing grave charges meet the same fate.
Last year alone, at least 25 individuals met their end on this beach.
The latest slated for execution is Said Ali Moalim Daud, sentenced to death on March 6 for the horrific act of immolating his wife, Lul Abdiaziz, in a room, purportedly due to her request for divorce.
Just beyond this execution site lies a modest informal settlement in the Hamar Jajab district—a collection of dilapidated structures and makeshift shelters housing approximately 50 families, occupying what once served as a police academy.
Fartun Mohammed Ismail, one of the residents by the shore, remarks, “As soon as my five little boys come home from school, they rush down to the beach to run about or play football,” revealing that they use the execution poles as makeshift goalposts.
“I worry about my children’s health because they play in the blood spilt where people are shot,” she adds. “The area is not cleaned up after executions.”
Graves of the executed dot the beach, serving as poignant reminders of the violence perpetrated here.
Despite being acclimated to the strife and instability of Mogadishu, a city engulfed in conflict for over three decades, parents like Ismail feel uneasy about their children playing amidst the aftermath of executions.
However, economic pressures often leave parents unable to monitor their children’s activities closely, allowing them to join their peers on the beach.
Executions occur in the early morning, between 06:00 and 07:00, with only journalists permitted to witness the grim proceedings. Nevertheless, local residents, including children, often gather to observe.
The beach was designated as an execution site in 1975 by Siad Barre during his presidency, deliberately chosen for its visibility to nearby locals. The concrete posts were originally erected for the public execution of Islamic clerics opposing a new family law granting equal inheritance rights to girls and boys.
Though the public spectacles have ceased, parents fear for their children’s safety, knowing they play in a place where death is a frequent visitor, perpetuating a cycle of fear and trauma associated with law enforcement.