Mogadishu (Somalia Today) – Somali opposition leaders accused security forces of opening fire on protesters in Mogadishu on Sunday, saying gunfire killed at least one person, as the federal government defended a heavy security deployment and warned against what it called “violent political mobilisation”.
The confrontation came after authorities said they would permit an opposition rally only at Engineer Yarisow Koonis Stadium, while opposition organisers announced demonstrations at 22 locations across the capital.
Former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said gunfire killed a protester and wounded several others in the Dayniile district after civilians attempted to join the rallies.
“I send my condolences to the families whose loved ones lost their lives in the peaceful protest taking place in Mogadishu, particularly in Dayniile district,” Khaire told a news conference.
“One person has been confirmed dead and several others wounded,” he added.
The government has not released an official casualty figure.
Khaire accused forces under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration of using live ammunition against civilians taking part in what he described as a peaceful protest.
He said lawmaker Faa’iso Mohamed Jayte was among those who survived the incident and witnessed the shooting.
“This peaceful protest was met with indiscriminate gunfire by the forces of President Hassan Sheikh’s government, whose days are numbered,” Khaire said. “Among those whom Allah saved, and who witnessed what happened, was MP Faa’iso Jayte.”
Government warns
The Federal Government said it fully respected the constitutional rights of citizens to peaceful assembly, expression and political participation, but said the opposition’s plan risked disrupting the capital and endangering civilians.
“Peaceful demonstration is a legitimate democratic right, and the Government has no objection to citizens expressing their views in a lawful, peaceful, and orderly manner,” it said in a statement.
But it said authorities designated Koonis Stadium as the appropriate venue to allow the protest to proceed while protecting public safety and the normal functioning of Mogadishu.
The government said opposition organisers announced 22 separate protest sites across the city to “paralyse, disrupt, and fragment the city into clan zones” rather than enable an orderly civic demonstration.
“This is not responsible political expression,” the statement said. “It is an act of violent political mobilisation that risks undermining the peace, security, and daily lives of the nearly four million residents of Mogadishu.”
The government also expressed concern over what it described as a plan for five consecutive days of demonstrations across the capital.
It said security reports indicated that armed elements linked to or aligned with opposition actors had positioned themselves in different parts of the city, including densely populated civilian areas.
Roads blocked
Opposition figures said the government effectively blocked even the approved rally by deploying security forces across major roads and restricting the movement of senior politicians.
Security forces turned back former prime minister Mohamed Hussein Roble and former minister Abdirahman Aynte as they tried to reach Khaire’s residence before heading to the protest, according to opposition accounts.
The two officials returned home after military vehicles blocked their path and security personnel denied them permission to proceed.
Yusuf Gamadiid, a lawmaker from former president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed’s Himilo Qaran party, said security forces also prevented opposition members from reaching Koonis Stadium.
“The delegation they sent turned out to be false,” he said. “People cannot move. They are standing on the roads, and even Koonis has been denied to us.”
Organisers scheduled the protest to begin at 11:00 am, but opposition figures said security forces had heavily restricted the movement of protesters and leaders from the early morning.
Residents reported a large security presence at key junctions, as authorities deployed armed forces around parts of the city and near the homes of some opposition leaders.
Te fizzled protest also highlighted an apparent lack of grassroots supporters willing to turn out for the opposition.
The failure of the public to mobilize and defy the security cordons marks a major political setback for the opposition coalition in its escalating attempt to challenge President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s mandate.
Land dispute
Opposition leaders called the protests amid growing anger over demolitions and alleged forced evictions in Mogadishu, where they accuse the government of displacing poor families and seizing land without due process.
Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a former president and one of the leading opposition figures, said the rallies aim to defend citizens who have been removed from their homes and shelters by authorities.
“We call on the Somali people to come out peacefully and support those displaced from their homes and shelters,” he said earlier. “This demonstration is peaceful and aims to restore the rights of citizens.”
The land issue has become one of the most politically sensitive disputes in Mogadishu, where rapid urban expansion, weak land records and the return of powerful political and business interests have intensified long-running property conflicts.
Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that forced evictions deepen the vulnerability of internally displaced families, many of whom fled drought, floods or conflict and live in informal settlements with little legal protection.
Election tensions
The confrontation also comes as Somalia faces growing political tension over the next elections and constitutional changes backed by the federal government.
Opposition leaders accuse Hassan Sheikh of pushing a political process that could extend his time in office and weaken consensus-based governance. They have demanded broad talks and an agreed electoral roadmap.
The government says it is pursuing constitutional and electoral reforms needed to move Somalia toward direct elections after decades of indirect voting dominated by clan delegates and political bargaining.
But the dispute has revived memories of the 2021 political crisis, when an attempted mandate extension under former president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed triggered armed confrontations in Mogadishu and raised fears of wider instability.
In its statement, the government warned opposition leaders against inflammatory language and accused some figures of glorifying confrontation rather than peaceful political engagement.
It cited remarks by Sharif referring to the history of former warlord and senator Abdiqeybdid, who survived armed battles, and said such language risked encouraging supporters to view political activity as a battlefield.
“Such language is deeply irresponsible, inconsistent with the spirit of peaceful protest, and risks encouraging supporters to view political activity as a battlefield rather than a lawful civic exercise,” the government said.
It said commanders instructed security forces to act with restraint, professionalism and respect for human rights, while distinguishing peaceful citizens from people seeking to incite violence, carry weapons, damage property or obstruct essential roads.
The government called on political actors to de-escalate, avoid mobilising armed supporters and pursue grievances through peaceful, constitutional and institutional channels.
But opposition leaders say the heavy deployment and reported shooting in Dayniile show that the administration is using security forces to suppress dissent.
