SIMAD University Clinches 2026 Somali IHL Competition Title

Mogadishu – SIMAD University defeated defending champions Mogadishu University on Tuesday to win the 2026 Somali International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Competition, securing its first-ever title and a berth at this year’s All-Africa finals. The final, hosted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Mogadishu on 30 June, capped a preliminary round that drew written submissions from seven Somali universities.

The victory matters beyond the trophy. It signals a shift in a competition that Mogadishu University has dominated since in-person rounds began in 2024, and it comes as Somalia formally joins the Global IHL Initiative, a push to deepen national commitment to the laws of war. For a country still shaped by conflict, contests like this one are increasingly seen as a pipeline for the legal professionals who will shape how humanitarian law is understood and applied at home.

Teams of three law students each faced two tests in the final: a simulated detention visit modeled on the ICRC’s actual prison-monitoring work in Somalia and a moot court session requiring each side to argue both prosecution and defense in a fictional IHL case.

Hafsa Jelle of Mogadishu University was named Best Oralist for her performance before the three-judge panel, an individual honor that softened the sting of her team’s runner-up finish.