Families Demand Justice After US Admits Drone Strikes Killed Somali Civilians

As the US has ramped up drone strikes in Somalia since President Donald Trump's return to power in January, the military has also confessed to some civilian deaths resulting from attacks conducted during his first term—but victims' families are demanding more.

Al Jazeera on Tuesday published interviews with two impacted family members. Abubakar Dahir Mohamed's 22-year-old sister, Luul Dahir Mohamed, and 4-year-old niece, Mariam, were killed on April 1, 2018. She left behind a son who is now 13.

The pair was traveling in a pickup truck with other passengers to a town where another brother lived. US Africa Command (AFRICOM) initially said it struck "five terrorists" and destroyed one vehicle, but later admitted an unnamed "mother and child" were killed.

As Al Jazeera detailed:

That day, according to media reports and Luul's family, US drones bombed the pickup truck. Immediately after, locals found several bodies in and around the site. Further down the road, about 60 metres (200 feet) away, was the lifeless body of Luul, clutching onto her child, whose small body was covered in shrapnel.

"When they fired on the vehicle, Luul made it out with her daughter. They knew it was a woman and child, and then they fired once again, killing them both in the second strike," Abubakar said from the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

"The Americans claim to uphold human rights, but apparently, when it comes to people like my sister and niece, their lives don't matter."

The outlet also spoke with Mohamed Osman Abdi—whose 17-year-old niece, Nuro Kusow Omar, was killed in a February 2, 2020 strike that also injured another niece and his mother-in-law—and reported on letters that AFRICOM recently sent to Hūmānus, a nongovernmental organization representing both families.

Under "current Department of Defense guidelines and policies, US Africa Command determined it is not feasible to make a condolence payment in this matter," AFRICOM claimed in both letters.

In an email to Al Jazeera, AFRICOM said it assessed "mission objectives, cultural norms, local economic realities" as well as "the feasibility, safety, security, and logistics of making the payment itself," and made the decision based on the risk that the money could be "subject to confiscation, extortion, or unofficial taxation by terrorist or hostile insurgent groups."

Osman Abdi said that "it's a cheap excuse. They killed and maimed these people. Using fears of the money being extorted or confiscated is another way of saying the lives [lost] are worth nothing."

"It's painful and shows how desperate they are to rid themselves of any accountability," he added.

In a statement shared on the networking platform LinkedIn, Hūmānus also called out the United States. AFRICOM confirmed civilian harm from the strikes "after years of grueling advocacy," the group said. "This is a victory, yes, but a hollow one. It is a testament to the bravery of our clients and the tireless work of our team, tainted by the very system we were forced to navigate."

"AFRICOM's perfunctory acknowledgment and empty condolences are not just underwhelming, they are a profound injustice. Our clients have already navigated a long and arduous process exhausting every available channel, only to be met with a system designed to look the other way," Hūmānus continued. "The irony is palpable: While the US Congress has earmarked funds for ex gratia payments, these families—who deserve peace and closure—have been met with nothing but institutional indifference."

"This refusal to provide reparations compounds their trauma and sends a deeply troubling message to other victims and survivors around the world," the group added. "Reparations are not just about money; they are a formal recognition of the harm and a vital, final step toward a full stop for survivors. When this crucial component is absent, the so-called 'accountability process' reveals itself as little more than an elaborate exercise in futility."

According to the think tank New America, the US has conducted 410 strikes in Somalia since the George W. Bush administration, killing at least dozens of civilians. Most have occurred under Trump: 219 during his first term and 80 this year.