Tensions Rise After Clashes in Mogadishu

Mogadishu — The situation in Mogadishu is tense. Security forces opened fire on residents protesting the demolition of houses in the Abdiaziz district. Clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces near the road to Lido Beach, not far from the headquarters of the police transport authority. Eyewitnesses reported that security forces fired shots to disperse the crowd, which then threw stones at the officers. The clashes forced many residents to flee parts of the district and fueled fears of further escalation of violence.

Tensions had been high since June 10, when a massive security presence was deployed to the Wadajir district, near the Al Jazeera Hotel and Aden Adde International Airport, where some of the most prominent opposition figures live. Overnight, however, security measures were partially eased. Although the two administrative districts of Abdiaziz and Wadajir do not border each other, both incidents are related to the political crisis that erupted after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's decision to extend his own term of office. This term ended on May 15, while the parliamentary term expired on April 14. According to Mohamud, the constitutional amendments passed by parliament earlier this year would extend both terms and postpone elections. The opposition considers this interpretation unconstitutional. The protests organized by the opposition were violently suppressed. On June 3, clashes began in central districts, including Howlwadag, and quickly spread to Abdiaziz--where former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed used a residence to coordinate opposition activities--as well as to Wadajir, Hodan, and other districts of the capital. The violence left dozens dead, hundreds injured, and displaced thousands of residents from the affected areas. Tensions escalated further when a group of armed men, believed to be members of a clan from the Middle Shabelle region, blocked the main coastal road leading out of Mogadishu. This strategically vital trade and transport artery connects the Somali capital with parts of the Galgaduud and Hiiraan regions. The blockade is likely to severely disrupt freight traffic, public transport, and the movement of civilians along the road. The reasons for the action are currently unknown, but it is clearly linked to the deep political instability that has gripped the country.

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