Amnesty International calls for investigation into possible war crimes in Somalia committed using Turkish drones

MOGADISHU — Amnesty International has called for an investigation into two strikes in Somalia that resulted in the deaths of 23 civilians in March. The organization asserted that these strikes, conducted as part of Somali military operations and supported by Turkish drones, should be scrutinized as potential war crimes.

The strikes, occurring near Bagdad village in March, claimed the lives of 23 individuals, including 14 children, and left 17 others injured. A grieving family member, speaking to Amnesty International, expressed anguish over the loss: “I identified the bodies of my wife and children at the scene … I am heartbroken.”

Somalia hosts one of the largest Turkish military bases outside of Turkey, with Turkey actively involved in training Somali troops and providing drones to support counterterrorism efforts since 2017. However, the recent strikes have raised serious concerns about the indiscriminate nature of these operations.

Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “The Somali and Turkish governments must investigate these deadly strikes as war crimes and put an end to reckless attacks on civilians.”

The ongoing armed conflict between the Somali government and the terrorist group Al-Shabaab has inflicted significant harm on civilians, with repeated breaches of international humanitarian law documented. According to Human Rights Watch’s summary of events in 2022, by November of that year, the UN had recorded over 600 civilian deaths and nearly 1,000 injuries in the region.