Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, seen from a hillside in 2024. (Photo: Mheidegger, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

SOMALIA · SOMALILAND · CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Somaliland reportedly shot nine convicted murderers by firing squad on Wednesday 11 November 2026, according to Somali news reports that we could not confirm with an official source. The self-declared republic in the Horn of Africa, the region around Somalia and Ethiopia, broke away from Somalia in 1991 and had published no statement that we could find.

The reports place the executions in the Mandheera area of the Sahil region and say they were carried out under qisas, an Islamic law of retribution. Somaliland is campaigning for formal recognition, so how it applies the death penalty is likely to draw outside attention.

What We Know

Somali news reports say the nine were shot on Wednesday 11 November 2026 in the Mandheera area of the Sahil region. They say the men had been sentenced in separate murder cases.

The reports say the sentences were carried out under qisas, an Islamic legal principle that lets a victim’s family seek retribution. They give no names for the nine, no identities for the victims and no details of the cases.

Who Is Somaliland?

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and runs its own government and courts from its capital, Hargeisa. Few countries recognise it, and it is campaigning for formal recognition.

Our explainer sets out why Somaliland wants recognition. Another report covers China’s and Djibouti’s opposition to its statehood.

Money changers stack bundles of Somaliland shilling notes at a street market in Hargeisa, the Somaliland capital. Photo: Fiona Graham / WorldRemit, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Earlier Executions at the Same Site

Six men were executed at Mandheera prison in January 2020, local news reports said at the time, and six more in November 2020, according to a European Union statement. The firing squad is therefore a repeated practice in Somaliland, not a new one.

What Is Not Known

We found no statement from the Somaliland government or its justice authorities, and no reaction from human-rights groups or foreign governments. The identities of the nine, the dates of their convictions and any appeal steps are unknown.

The reports use near-identical wording, and we could not establish that they are independent of each other. We therefore treat the account as reported, not confirmed.

What It Means for Readers

For readers in the United States, the executions add a human-rights question to Somaliland’s bid for recognition. We will update this report if the government confirms the details.

Read more on Somaliland’s recognition drive and on the visa dispute between Somalia and Somaliland.

More: Somalia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Somaliland execute nine people?

Somali news reports say yes, on Wednesday 11 November 2026 in the Mandheera area of the Sahil region. We found no official statement confirming it.

Why were the nine executed?

The reports say they were convicted of murder in separate cases and sentenced under qisas, an Islamic law of retribution. Details of the cases have not been published.

Is Somaliland a country?

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and governs itself, but few countries recognise it. It is campaigning for that recognition.

Has Somaliland used the firing squad before?

Yes. Six men were executed at Mandheera prison in January 2020 and six more in November 2020, according to local reports and a European Union statement.

Sources: No statement from the Somaliland government or its justice authorities had been published when we checked on 12 November 2026. This report rests on Somali news reports of 11 and 12 November 2026 with near-identical wording, which we could not establish as independent; for 2020, a European Union statement of 28 November 2020 and local reports.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error