Police in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu said security forces were conducting operations to restore order following armed clashes linked to a planned opposition demonstration, as tensions between the government and opposition groups escalated.
Banadir Regional Police Commander Mahdi Omar Mumin said in a statement posted on Facebook that security agencies in the capital were working to conclude an operation targeting what he described as heavily armed militias who had fired mortar rounds into several districts of Mogadishu.
“The security institutions of the capital are carrying out an operation against armed groups that shelled parts of the city with mortars,” Mumin said, adding that authorities remained focused on maintaining public safety and stability.
The statement came after fighting erupted in parts of Mogadishu from Wednesday afternoon into Thursday morning.
Residents reported exchanges of gunfire between government security forces and guards assigned to several opposition figures, who had been planning an anti-government protest in the capital.
Mumin said no public gathering or demonstration would be permitted under the current security conditions and urged residents to avoid what he described as organized armed activities that threaten security and stability. He called on the public to cooperate with security agencies to help restore calm.
The clashes mark the latest sign of a deepening political standoff between Somalia’s federal government and opposition leaders, who have accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration of moving ahead with controversial political and electoral reforms without broad consensus.
Opposition groups had announced plans for demonstrations in Mogadishu to protest the government’s handling of the electoral process and constitutional amendments. The government has defended the reforms as necessary steps toward expanding democratic participation and moving Somalia toward a one-person, one-vote electoral system.
Security concerns have frequently accompanied periods of political tension in Mogadishu, where authorities often impose restrictions on public gatherings amid fears that disputes between political actors could undermine stability in a country still battling an Islamist insurgency led by al Shabaab.