Study Addresses Land Rights Access Challenges in Mogadishu

Gundel shares insight from the “Access to Land Rights In Mogadishu” study at an international development event.

Joakim Gundel, ABA ROLI Somalia expert, recently presented his work on the “Access to Land Rights In Mogadishu” study at an event in Nairobi, Kenya. Conducted in 2019, the study focused on how Somalis in the Mogadishu and Benadir region navigate justice institutions to find redress to their land grievances.

The study found that access to land rights are a significant challenge for the stabilization of Mogadishu, and confirmed that land disputes remain one of the most significant sources of political tension in the area. Recently, Mogadishu has also received investment capital, which has resulted in speculative real estate ventures that have generated new land dispute legal issues. As the study noted, land disputes often tend to negatively impact marginalized communities who have historically lacked access to justice. A full research report is forthcoming and will detail more information about the final study results. 

Members from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and international organizations attended Gundel’s presentation. The study Gundel presented on was funded by USAID through the Freedom House-led Human Rights Support Mechanism (HRSM), and the five-year “Expanding Access to Justice Program," which targets marginalized communities in Somalia and Somaliland, implemented by Pact and ABA ROLI. Since 2018, the program has addressed legal information gaps through extensive onsite research, analysis, and policy interventions, as well as provided technical skills trainings to local legal aid groups. Learn more about ABA ROLI's work across Africa.