Somalia’s opposition supporters and security forces clashed in the capital, Mogadishu, on Thursday for a second day ahead of a planned demonstration against the government.
No official casualty figures were immediately available from the clashes that prompted calls for restraint from the UN and the US as the government and opposition traded blame for the violence.
Residents reported heavy gunfire and explosions as fighting broke out in several neighborhoods on Wednesday.
Photo: AP
“We heard heavy weapons fire and people were fleeing their homes,” said Abdullahi Mohamed, who lives in the city’s Howlwadaag District. “Many families left the area looking for safer places.”
The clashes underscore growing political tensions as disputes over Somalia’s elections and the constitution have increasingly strained relations between the government and opposition leaders. Somalia is also fighting al-Shabab militants while seeking to boost state institutions with support from international partners.
Several buildings were hit by heavy gunfire and mortar shells during the clashes, with some catching fire.
Gunfire subsided on Thursday afternoon following mediation efforts led by the director of the Somalian National Intelligence and Security Agency, who visited the area and held talks with former Somalian prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire.
The discussions reportedly led to an agreement to halt the fighting.
Khaire was later seen leaving his house alongside the intelligence chief.
During a briefing with reporters, Benadir Regional Police Commissioner Mahdi Omar said that an arms recovery operation at Khaire’s residence had uncovered heavy machine guns.
The operation resulted in casualties, he said, but did not provide details on the number of people killed or injured.
Opposition figures said the rally planned for later on Thursday was intended to protest what they call constitutional violations and efforts by Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to extend his tenure.
The government has rejected those allegations.
On Thursday morning, there were signs of mobilization on the streets, but a heavy security presence remained in place with police patrolling major roads.
Mogadishu police said the violence stemmed from “organized attacks” carried out by armed militias.
“The incidents were not the organization of peaceful public demonstrations, but rather coordinated armed acts that directly threatened the security, order and stability of the capital,” police said in a statement.
State security forces repelled attacks on their positions and launched investigations to identify those responsible for organizing, financing and carrying out the violence, police said.
Opposition leaders accused security forces of attacking residences linked to Khaire and former Somalian president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
“We are under attack,” Khaire said in a statement. “For the second time in less than 24 hours, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has directed armed forces against our peaceful gatherings.”
Traditional elders, politicians, and community leaders were meeting at Khaire’s residence when the attack occurred, he said.
The government disputed that account.
‘CROSSING THE LINE’: China’s embassy in Seoul criticized US Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson, asking if his ‘hostile’ remarks were authorized by Washington South Korea and the US are in talks over recent public remarks by the commander of US Forces Korea, Seoul’s presidential office said yesterday, after the comments drew sharp criticism from China. In a recent podcast interview, US Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson described South Korea as “the dagger in the heart of Asia” from China’s east coast, prompting the Chinese embassy in Seoul to say that he had “truly crossed the line.” The interview came amid growing speculation that Washington might seek to expand the role of US Forces Korea in countering the growing regional influence of China, a key
Through the noise of rushing papers and whirring belts at a print factory in Kyoto, two creators watch their photo essay come to life in broadsheet form — part of an effort to win new audiences in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Despite the decline of the publishing industry, self-publication and handmade “zine” magazines are growing in popularity in Japan, reflecting the nation’s enduring love of paper in the digital era. While speaking to Agence France-Presse at the plant, his hands black with ink, one of the creators, Kazuma Obara, said: “I think [paper] is a medium that engages all five
Australian researchers have trained lab-grown brain cells on a silicon computer chip to play the 1990s shooter game Doom and said they are just scratching the surface of what the neurons could be capable of doing. It is the science-fiction work of biotech boffins at Cortical Labs, who researched and developed the technology that harnesses the workings of the brain’s networking system. Each so-called “biological computer” contains about 200,000 living human brain cells, grown from stem cells that were harvested from blood donations. Having mastered the simple computer game Pong, where a paddle is moved up and down to send a ball
France experienced its hottest spring on record, the French weather service said on Tuesday, after an exceptional early heat wave that also broke highs for the season in England and Wales. Meteo-France said the average nationwide temperature over March to May was 13.8°C — about 1.7°C above the norm, and surpassing records set in 2011 and 2020. “The warmest spring since records began in 1900,” it said in a bulletin. All three months were warmer than average, but the onset of an “unprecedented heatwave” late last month pushed the mercury to highs typically seen at the height of the summer. “Our country had never
RSS