The Somali government announced that it had thwarted an attack by armed militias on neighborhoods in the capital, Mogadishu, while the opposition organized demonstrations calling for the departure of President Muhammad Abdullah Farmajo.
Security Minister Hassan Hendoubi said - in press statements - that government forces had settled in their favor clashes against armed militias, which were mobilized by politicians and former officials (he did not name them).
He explained that the government forces thwarted an attack by armed militias on residential neighborhoods in Mogadishu, after the failure of all peaceful attempts to prevent the occurrence of clashes in the capital.
Meanwhile, armed confrontations broke out between the Somali security forces and the guard of the presidential candidate, Abd al-Rahman Abdul Shakur, on Sunday in the Hoden neighborhood, south of the capital.
The government said it thwarted an attack by armed militias on residential neighborhoods in Mogadishu (Reuters)
Reciprocal accusations
The candidate, Abdul Rahman Abdul Shakour, said that government forces launched an attack on his residence in Mogadishu, and held President Muhammad Abdullah Farmajo responsible for that.
He also accused former Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, his successor, President Farmajo, of coordinating an attack by soldiers on his home yesterday, and said on his Twitter account, "It is very unfortunate that an army under the leadership of the former president (meaning Farmajo) attacked Maskni."
On the other hand, the Minister of Security denied launching an attack on the house of the former president, saying that these are baseless rumors, and added that Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud has remained under the protection of guards from the presidential palace since he stepped down in 2017, which reflects his honor and stature.
And he added that there are local parties trying to transfer wars to our country to serve the interests of foreign countries, and citizens should not be a party to these wars.
Earlier on Sunday, local media reported that militias fighting alongside the army left their barracks and deployed in northern Mogadishu neighborhoods, in refusal to extend the mandate of President Mohamed Abdullah Farmajo.
In the middle of this month, President Farmajo signed a law extending his presidential term, which angered the opposition, and led to the descent of military officers alongside the demonstrators against the decision, and clashes with supporters of the president.
Demonstrations and militants
In this regard, supporters of the opposition demonstrated on Sunday in the Al-Fajah region, north of the capital, to demand the departure of Muhammad Abdullah Farmajo, in the presence of armed men.
One of the protesters said that they tried to organize peaceful anti-government protests several times, but she did not allow them, "Today we have forces with us and we can demonstrate."
Shortly after the start of the protest, men carrying heavy weapons exchanged fire with Somali forces in the nearby Sanka neighborhood, according to police and eyewitnesses.
On Sunday evening, the European Union’s ambassador to Somalia, Nicholas Berlanga, expressed "deep concern about the current events in Mogadishu," adding that "the public interest requires utmost restraint."
On Friday, the African Union condemned the extension of the president's mandate, while the UN Security Council adopted a declaration calling on the parties to "renounce violence and resume dialogue urgently and without preconditions."
Somalia has witnessed disagreements between the government on the one hand and the regional leaders and the opposition on the other hand over the details of the mechanism for holding parliamentary and presidential elections, which led to their postponement more than once.