Somali ex-soldier ordered to pay blood money after clashes

A Somali military court has sentenced a former soldier to 10 years in prison and ordered him to pay blood money to the family of a police officer killed in clashes in August.

The court issued the ruling against Shegow Ahmed Ali, a militia leader, on Thursday following a one-day trial in the capital, Mogadishu, the state-owned Sonna news agency reports.

It also sentenced militiaman Ahmed Mohamed Hassan to death and handed 18 others various jail terms, ranging from six months to three years.

Ali, more commonly known as General Shegow, was arrested in August following heavy clashes in Mogadishu between police officers and a militia he led.

Police said the violence broke out after officers tried to arrest members of the militia, which was linked to robberies and money laundering in the capital.

At least one policeman and two militiamen were killed during the incident.

General Shegow's arrest sparked an outcry on social media, with some Somalis saying it was part of the oppression of the Jareerweyn, a historically marginalised group sometimes referred to as “Somali Bantus”.