Mogadishu (Somalia Today) – Somali authorities said on Saturday they will permit an opposition rally in Mogadishu only at a designated stadium, sparking a tense standoff with former leaders who vowed to press ahead with protests against “forced evictions and illegal land grabs” in the capital.
Banadir Governor and Mogadishu Mayor Hassan Mohamed Hussein, known as Muungaab, said the government approved the demonstration at Engineer Yariisow Stadium but warned security forces would block any attempts to disrupt public order.
“We agree that the protest can take place at Engineer Yariisow Stadium, and the government will secure the area. We will not allow anyone to create chaos,” Muungaab told reporters following a joint press conference with Interior Security Minister Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail Fartaag and Somali Police Commissioner Asad Osman Abdullahi.
The opposition says the protest, planned for Sunday morning, aims to denounce forced removals, demolitions, and illegal transfers of public and privately occupied land in Mogadishu.
Former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said the rally will begin at 7:00 a.m. and urged residents, especially those affected by evictions, to participate peacefully.
“The protest is tomorrow at 7:00 in the morning. We want people to come out and seek their rights. Tomorrow’s protest is not the end, but the beginning,” Khaire said.
Security warning
Fartaag said the government will not tolerate actions that threaten capital security, accusing opposition figures of planning unrest instead of a peaceful demonstration.
“The government will not accept any violation of Mogadishu’s security. Whoever wants to hold a protest must follow the instructions the Banadir governor issued,” he said.
He also accused opposition politicians of distributing weapons to militias and seeking to provoke clashes with security forces.
The opposition rejected the charge, insisting the constitution protects their right to hold a peaceful demonstration.
Somalia’s provisional constitution guarantees citizens the right to organise and participate in peaceful demonstrations—a point opposition leaders repeatedly cite to challenge government restrictions on the planned rally.
Khaire warned security forces against letting politicians use them for political purposes or against civilians protesting government displacement from their homes and businesses.
“If pressure and violence emerge from the protest, the government will bear responsibility,” he said.
“We are calling on those joining the protest: this is a peaceful demonstration to seek your rights. We do not want violence or trouble.”
Opposition spreads out
Opposition politicians have reportedly spread out across several Mogadishu districts—including Hodan, Deynile, Abdiaziz, Warta Nabadda, Kaxda, and Kaaraan—in an apparent effort to widen the protest beyond the single government-approved venue.
Former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has moved to northern Mogadishu, specifically the Mirinaayo area of Abdiaziz district, according to sources familiar with opposition planning.
The area carries political symbolism. It was among the places where President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, then an opposition figure, helped build pressure against former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo before the 2022 election.
Opposition sources say Sheikh Sharif plans to launch his faction of the protest in Mirinaayo before marching through the capital’s northern neighbourhoods.
The former president called on Mogadishu residents to join the protest peacefully and urged the government to address complaints from families affected by recent demolitions and forced removals.
Opposition figures say the protest highlights not only land disputes but also growing government pressure on political freedoms, civil rights, and public accountability in the capital.
Evictions fuel anger
The land dispute has become one of the most sensitive political issues in Mogadishu, a city already carrying one of Somalia’s heaviest displacement burdens.
Opposition leaders accuse authorities of removing many poor families from homes and informal settlements without proper notice, compensation, or legal process.
Government officials defend some demolition operations as necessary for urban planning, security, and infrastructure development, arguing that they must clear public land and roads for the wider public interest.
But critics argue the policy deepens hardship among displaced communities and raises questions about who benefits from the cleared land in one of the country’s most valuable urban areas.
Mogadishu has expanded rapidly in recent years as improvements in relative security, returning diaspora investment, and large-scale construction push land values higher across the capital.
That growth has also intensified disputes over public property, private claims, and informal settlements, which often house families displaced by conflict, drought, and poverty.
Wider political standoff
The planned protest unfolds amid a broader political standoff between President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration and opposition leaders, who accuse the government of centralising power and weakening political consensus.
The government maintains it is pursuing long-delayed reforms, including a transition toward one-person, one-vote elections. Opposition figures accuse authorities of using reform language to reshape the political system in their favour.
The dispute fuels tensions in Mogadishu, where political protests often carry serious security risks due to armed factions, fragile institutions, and repeated Al-Shabaab attacks.
Authorities say they designed the restrictions to protect civilians and prevent violence in the capital. Opposition leaders counter that the government uses security concerns to restrict a lawful demonstration and silence criticism.
For now, both sides remain dug in.
The government insists it will permit only a controlled rally at Engineer Yariisow Stadium.
The opposition insists residents have the right to demonstrate across Mogadishu against unjust evictions and politically connected land grabs.
