Somali prison officers on Tuesday morning blocked a strategic road connecting Mogadishu Port to the Xamarweyne Fish Market area in protest over unpaid salaries, disrupting traffic movement in one of the capital’s most sensitive administrative zones.

The officers, drawn from the Somali Custodial Corps, closed the route leading to several key state institutions, including the Central Prison, national courts, and other important government facilities.

Speaking to local media, several of the protesting officers said they had not received salaries for approximately 18 months, accusing authorities of failing to address their longstanding grievances despite difficult working conditions.

The officers stated that many members of the force are struggling to support their families amid the prolonged salary delays and called on Somalia’s Ministry of Justice and the leadership of the Custodial Corps to urgently intervene and fulfill their financial entitlements.

There was no immediate official response from the Somali government regarding the protest.

Meanwhile, reports from the scene indicated that members of the elite Haramcad police unit had been deployed to the area to restore security and reopen the road to normal traffic flow.