Gunfire erupts in capital as political crisis deepens
Gunfire erupted Friday during opposition protests in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, heightening a political standoff caused by the government’s refusal to hold elections that were scheduled for two weeks ago.
Videos posted on social media and shared by local news outlets showed opposition leaders marching through the streets of the city before ducking and running for cover as gunfire is heard.
The political crisis was set off when Somalia’s president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, delayed elections and then refused to leave office after his fouryear term formally ended Feb. 8.
The government put the country under a lockdown before the demonstrations Friday, suspending all public gatherings. While it said it imposed the restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic, opposition critics attributed the move to an effort to subdue protests.
The U.S. Embassy in Somalia said that “as many as 20 people may have been killed or injured” in the morning clashes in the capital and urged citizens to avoid the city. It also noted that incoming flights to the international airport were diverted and outbound flights canceled.
Hassan Ali Khaire, the former prime minister and a prominent opposition figure, said in a post on Facebook that he and several other presidential candidates, lawmakers, other officials and civilians survived an “assassination attempt” at the protest. Khaire later said in a news conference that shells fired against opposition protesters had landed inside the city’s international airport.
The chaos at the protests came just hours after an intense exchange of gunfire erupted in Mogadishu in the early hours of Friday morning. Hassan Hundubey Jimale, the Somali minister of internal security, said in a statement that “armed militias” had attacked military posts with the intention of taking over government buildings. Government forces repulsed the attackers, he said.
The raids were followed by reports of attacks by the government on other political figures, including Mohamed’s two presidential predecessors, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who said on Twitter that the hotel where they were staying had been targeted.
The United Nations, the U.S., the European Union and several African countries have urged the parties to resolve the electoral issues “in order for credible and inclusive elections to proceed.”