Government forces and opposition fighters exchanged heavy gunfire in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, as a political dispute over delayed elections intensified after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term ended on 15 May and was extended by a year, according to BBC.
There were discussions between the government and opposition groups, but they did not succeed in ironing out their differences.
The opposition views the extension of the president’s term as unconstitutional and called for protests on Thursday.
Gunfire was heard across the capital throughout the night, BBC reported, citing residents.
Somalia last held a one-person, one-vote election in 1969 and has been ravaged by civil war for more than 30 years.
Former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said he had been attacked by government forces while he and other leaders were preparing for Thursday’s “peaceful” demonstrations.
“The responsibility for any casualties or damage resulting from this incident lies with the president whose term has expired,” he said on X.
“This attack is a grave assault on the constitutional rights of Somali citizens and a deliberate attempt to suppress peaceful assembly,” he added.The number of casualties is not yet known, and the president has not commented.
In a statement on X, former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said the violence would not halt the planned demonstrations.
“If the President and his soldiers think that we are afraid or that we will flee, we are not going to run away,” he said.
The U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu has described the violence as “reckless,” adding that leaders on all sides “have a responsibility to preserve stability and resolve differences through peaceful means.”
