Authorities in Somalia should intensify their investigation into the abduction and apparent summary execution of seven health workers and a pharmacist in May 2020, Human Rights Watch said today. Six months on, government investigations have not resulted in arrests or prosecutions, while the victims’ relatives await justice.

On May 27 at about 1:30 p.m., five masked gunmen entered the compound of a mother and child healthcare clinic run by a nongovernmental organization, the Zamzam foundation, in Gololey village, Balcad district, Hirshabelle state. Several witnesses said the gunmen – three in Somali military uniforms, one in a seemingly light blue police uniform, and another in civilian clothes – separated seven male workers from the five female workers. They blindfolded the men and brought another man, who ran a nearby pharmacy, to the clinic. The gunmen then left with the men. On the afternoon of May 28, residents found the men’s bullet-ridden bodies outside the village.