# Somali Government Denies al-Shabaab Stopped Mogadishu Stadium Construction

> Somali officials denied al-Shabaab stopped work on Mogadishu Stadium in 2019. The claim of ongoing construction is unverified.

- By: Editorial Team, Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com/about)
- Published: 30 September 2026
- Format: News story (reported from one named public source)
- Publication: Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com)
- Subject: Business and Costs
- Tags: construction-risk, project-management, site-execution
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/somali-government-denies-stadium-stopped

## Key points

- Somali Dispatch reported on 2019-09-10 that the Somali government denied al-Shabaab had stopped construction of Mogadishu Stadium.
- Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled and other officials visited the stadium, and the Minister of Information said work was under way.
- The report does not establish whether construction had actually started, name a contractor, or provide any later status updates.

On 10 September 2019, Somali Dispatch reported that the Somali government denied reports that al-Shabaab had blocked the construction and renovation of Mogadishu Stadium in the Warta Nabada district.

The denial followed an afternoon site visit by Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled (Khadar), accompanied by Minister of Youth and Sports Khadijo Mohamed Dirie, the Minister of Information, the Governor of Benadir region, and Deputy Security and Policy Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Tula. According to the report, the officials inspected parts of the stadium and all denied that al-Shabaab had stopped rebuilding, calling the information baseless.

Minister of Information Mohamed Abdi Hayir said the construction and renovation of the stadium was under way, and that it was a lie that al-Shabaab could stop it. “No one can stop the unstoppable,” he was quoted as saying. He also warned the private media and the public about the spread of fake news and said the government would investigate the contractor’s company and inquire about the issue.

The Somali Dispatch report does not establish that any construction work had actually started or was ongoing at the time. It does not name the contractor, provide a contract value, or cite the original reports claiming al-Shabaab had stopped work. No photographic or physical evidence of construction progress from the site visit is given.

What has happened since 10 September 2019 is not covered by the report. No later progress, completion, or status updates on the stadium construction are provided. The outcome of the announced investigation into the contractor’s company is not known from the report.

## Questions

### What is the current status of stadium construction?

The Somali Dispatch report from 10 September 2019 does not provide any later status updates. It does not establish that construction was actually under way at that time, only that the Minister of Information said it was.

### What evidence exists for the al-Shabaab claim?

The Somali Dispatch report does not cite the original sources of the reports that al-Shabaab had stopped construction. The government denied those reports as baseless.

### What is the government's official position?

The Somali government, through Minister of Information Mohamed Abdi Hayir, said the construction and renovation of the stadium was under way and denied that al-Shabaab had stopped it, calling such reports fake news.

## Sources

- [Somali Government Denies al-Shabaab Stopped the Construction of Mogadishu Stadium](https://www.somalidispatch.com/latest-news/somali-government-denies-al-shabaab-stopped-the-construction-of-mogadishu-stadium/) — Somali Dispatch, 2019-09-10