On Saturday August 22, a military court sitting in Kismayo sentenced a soldier to death for killing a civilian.
The court found the soldier, Farah Abdirashid Elmi, guilty of killing Abdi Muhumed in Abdalla-Birole, a village found on the outskirts of the southern Somalia city.
Furthermore, the same court found Mohamed Rashid, Elmi’s co-accused, guilty of “aiding the commitment of murder” and sentenced him to three years in prison.
Judge Bashir Mohamed Bashe, who presided the case, said the prosecution had established Elmi’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
He said testimonies from key witnesses presented in court established that the two soldiers were culpable of Muhumed’s gruesome murder in Kismayo.
The two defendants now have to prepare and file their appeal within the next 21 days.