Heavy Gunfire Erupts Between Government Forces and Opposition Militias in Mogadishu After President's Term Extended

Heavy gunfire broke out between government forces and opposition fighters in several neighborhoods of Mogadishu and continued through the night. Residents reported the exchanges, which followed the expiry of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's term on 15 May and its extension by one year.

The opposition had called for protests on Thursday after talks between the federal government and opposition groups failed to produce an agreement.

Police described the operation as a large-scale security effort targeting heavily armed militias that had launched mortar attacks in some areas. Former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said government forces attacked him and other leaders while they prepared for the planned demonstrations.

"The responsibility for any casualties or damage resulting from this incident lies with the president whose term has expired," he wrote on X.

"This attack is a grave assault on the constitutional rights of Somali citizens and a deliberate attempt to suppress peaceful assembly," he added. Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed posted on X that the violence would not stop the demonstrations. "If the President and his soldiers think that we are afraid or that we will flee, we are not going to run away," he said.

U.S. embassy in Mogadishu called the violence reckless and stated that leaders on all sides have a responsibility to preserve stability and resolve differences through peaceful means. The number of casualties remains unknown, and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has not commented.

Somalia has been attempting to shift from a system in which clan elders select members of parliament, who then choose the president, toward one-person, one-vote elections. The country last held such an election in 1969 and has experienced civil war for more than 30 years.