People gather during a protest in a street in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Thursday after fighting erupted between opposition-led protesters and Somali state security forces during a planned protest against the federal government’s mandate extension for President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Photo by Said Yusuf Warsame/EPA
June 4 (UPI) — The Somalian military and opposition militias opposed to an extension of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term by the country’s parliament skirmished Thursday in its capital.
After the opposing sides set up positions within Mogadishu late Wednesday, gunfire and fighting broke out in the city ahead of planned demonstrations today, The Guardian and The New York Times reported.
Mohamud was due to leave office May 15, but the country’s parliament voted to extend his term by one year, prompting opposition leaders — including former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Minister Hassan Khayre — to announce demonstrations against what they said is a constitutional crisis.
Ahmed said that government forces had targeted his home intending to kill him because he has spoken out against the extended term and is leading resistance to it.
Ahmed and Khayre each have their own security, as do other clans throughout the country, and the alleged targeting of the leaders by government military forces led to ongoing skirmishes that have left Mogadishu residents fleeing for their safety.
Ahmed, in a video statement, said that government forces had “encircled and attacked my house.”
“I am never scared of their aggressive attack — I will fight back,” he said.
Khayre said in a statement that the government had deployed anti-tank weapons and drones in the attack, endangering civilians in the area.
At a press conference Thursday, Col. Mahdi Omar Mumin said that government forces staged “an operation in which security agencies neutralized armed militia members who yesterday attacked police forces in the Hodan District,” Somalia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement on X.
“The militia had caused harm to Somali civilians and disrupted security in the capital,” the ministry said.
Mohamud and members of the parliament who support him said the effort is to move from indirect elections to individuals voting specifically for their chosen candidates.
Opposition members have said they fear the change could prevent many people in the country from having a voice in the government and potentially enable greater power for Mohamud.