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| Africa Horn |
| Tensions Escalate in Mogadishu as Government Threatens Crackdown on Opposition |
| 2025-08-25 |
| [Garowe] The government of Somalia has put the opposition on notice over armed rebellion in the capital, Mogadishu, with Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi suggesting that such a move shall be met with resistance from armed forces. His sentiments come at a time when political tensions are escalating in Somalia over the upcoming elections, with opposition figures led by Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Hassan Ali Khaire and Mohammed Hussein Roble accusing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of undermining the country’s constitution. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is pushing for direct elections, an idea opposed by the opposition, which fears that without proper infrastructure for such elections, the idea would lead to term extensions in the Horn of Africa nation. Somalia has been practising indirect elections, which are limited to a few people in the society but are usually controlled by traditional elders. The government of Somalia, however, believes this is the right time to discard the model. "If anyone attempts to take up arms in Mogadishu, they will regret it," Defence Minister Fiqi said on Friday. "These so-called opposition voices are nothing but public noisemakers. Threats are no longer tolerated — we are past that phase." In what appeared to be a thinly veiled threat, Fiqi referenced the Talks between the opposition and the government over changes in the constitution have collapsed. The federal states of Jubaland and Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... have sided with the opposition, accusing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of refusing to give dialogue a chance. But on Thursday, President Mohamud dismissed the accusations, saying the opposition was resisting progress to maintain a political status quo. "There will always be disputes," he said. "But without bold steps, Somalia will never see meaningful change." |
| Posted by:trailing wife |