Crime in Somalia

Crime risks in Somalia include murder, armed robbery, criminal kidnapping, extortion by armed groups, theft around overcrowded internally displaced person settlements, gender-based violence, domestic violence, early or forced marriage, female genital mutilation, trafficking for forced labour or sexual exploitation, child abduction and recruitment, cybercrime, piracy and armed robbery at sea. Conflict, terrorism and crime can overlap, but they are not identical categories; a mine, armed attack or terrorism incident may require a different emergency response from an ordinary criminal complaint. The Somalia Police Force is the main civil law-enforcement body. Federal Member State police, Darwish forces and local or community actors also operate, while Somaliland has de facto authorities with separate practical arrangements. The Ministry of Internal Security oversees federal internal-security functions involving the police, the National Intelligence and Security Agency, immigration, mine action and anti-narcotics work. The Criminal Investigation Department, known as CID, handles criminal investigations, forensic and digital evidence, public complaints and gender-based-violence cases. The Attorney General's Office, or AGO, receives police investigation reports and public crime complaints, prepares charges, maintains criminal records and has specialist units for property, financial and economic crime, juvenile cases, trafficking and immigration, sexual and gender-based violence, maritime matters and electronic or cybercrime. Access is fragmented. There is no unified nationwide crime-help or referral system, and response capacity varies with insecurity, staffing, training, vehicles, fuel and coordination. An urgent threat should be reported to the nearest local police station or emergency channel. Published numbers are not harmonized: 991 appears on Darwish and police-linked pages, while security guidance has listed 888 for federal police, 999 for Puntland and 992 for a domestic-violence hotline. Verify the number and service coverage locally because a rapid response is not guaranteed. Police, CID and AGO fees and standard response times are not publicly specified, and transport, medical, legal or security costs may still arise. Xeer is customary law applied through elders and community structures. Elders, religious leaders and NGOs remain significant where state services are weak, but informal settlement does not replace urgent medical or security care. In violent or sexual-crime cases, confidentiality, individual accountability and the survivor's choice may be uneven, so a person can request formal police, CID, AGO, medical or protection support as well as community assistance. Gender-based-violence services include the National Child and Women Protection Helpline 116, which provides free, confidential, 24-hour reporting, protection and referral. Gender-based-violence one-stop centres and Women and Girls Safe Spaces may provide medical care, clinical rape management, injury treatment, psychosocial support, case management and referrals for legal, social or shelter assistance. Availability, location and funding vary, and transport, security and legal follow-up are not uniform. Informed consent, dignity and the survivor's wishes should guide the response. Children and concerned adults can also use helpline 116 for counselling, psychosocial support and health, legal or social-worker referrals. The AGO Juvenile Crimes Unit reviews and supervises juvenile cases and may recommend prosecution, diversion or release. Age assessment, child handover, detention, military-court, recruitment and association practices differ by authority, although the current protection framework treats a child as someone under 18. Cybercrime reporting involves the National Communications Authority, SOMCIRT and the AGO Electronic and Cyber-Crime Unit. SOMCIRT receives incident reports, issues alerts and advisories, coordinates responses and handles vulnerability and child-online-abuse reports. The Cybercrime Bill was approved in 2025 and the Cybersecurity Law in 2026. The Somalia Data Protection Authority, established under Law No. 005/2023, handles privacy complaints, investigations and enforcement; its published contact is 452. Preserve screenshots, URLs, account records and payment evidence, and avoid deleting original messages or altering files. Crime statistics require caution. The police digital crime-statistics system records police-reported cases across Somalia, while National Bureau of Statistics and AGO data systems are still developing. Reported cases do not equal actual prevalence because underreporting and access barriers are especially severe for gender-based violence, child abuse, remote areas and conflict zones. Exposure is generally highest in south and central Somalia, Mogadishu and Banaadir, conflict corridors, border and coastal zones, and settlements for internally displaced people, but local conditions can change quickly. Personal safety measures include using vetted local security advice, avoiding lone or unnecessary road travel and large public gatherings, markets, hotels and transport hubs when risks are elevated, following checkpoint instructions, carrying identification and visas, and not photographing security incidents. Road and sea movements require current local advice. Maritime piracy has declined from earlier peaks but has not disappeared, so current maritime security guidance and applicable International Maritime Organization or Best Management Practices advice remain relevant. Community-policing initiatives, including ten Local Police Partnership Boards and about 3,000 police and community participants supported in 2025, aim to improve dialogue, reporting trust and human-rights and gender awareness, but they do not create uniform services nationwide.