Wednesday March 26, 2025

Garowe (HOL)  — Two young men from Somalia’s South West state were shot and killed in separate incidents by armed security personnel in Garowe over the past week, raising the alarm over the safety of day labourers in Puntland’s capital.

The latest incident occurred Tuesday when Mustafe Mohamed Nur, a car washer, was fatally shot by a hotel security guard. Witnesses said the guard opened fire following a dispute while Mustafe was washing a car near the hotel entrance. The bullet struck him at close range, killing him on the spot.

Puntland security officials said the guard was taken into custody shortly after the shooting.

Four days earlier, on March 23, a second young worker, Abdulmalik Hussein, was killed inside his barbershop after a verbal altercation with a customer—also believed to be a member of the security forces. The argument reportedly escalated when Abdulmalik declined to cut the man’s hair immediately, prompting the suspect to draw a firearm and shoot him.

Authorities have yet to apprehend the suspect in that case.

Both victims were originally from the South West State and had moved to Puntland seeking work opportunities. Their killings have drawn widespread condemnation on Somali social media platforms, with many users demanding accountability and better protection for informal workers.

The Puntland regional government has not released a public statement addressing either incident.