Demonstrators protest alleged illegal evictions and land disputes in Mogadishu [Getty]
Somali opposition figures and witnesses said one person was killed Sunday after security forces opened fire to break up an anti-government protest in the capital Mogadishu.
The protest was planned by opposition leaders under the slogan “Dareen Hiil Shacab” (Solidarity with the People) at around 10 spots in the city.
It aimed to support residents forced from their homes in recent months as part of government-ordered evictions.
The opposition said the authorities first restricted the protest to a stadium in Mogadishu and imposed strict movement controls across the city, blocking major roads and surrounding the homes of opposition figures.
Later, dozens of demonstrators gathered in the Deyniile district in northern Mogadishu, where witnesses say security forces opened fire to disperse the crowd.
Former prime minister and opposition leader Hassan Ali Kheire condemned what he called a “brutal attack” on “civilians peacefully protesting”. He told reporters that “one Somali citizen was killed and another injured” in the process.
Witnesses described scenes of panic as gunfire broke out.
“I saw one person lying dead by the roadside and another injured,” said witness Alinur Ahmed.
“People fled when the troops opened fire,” said another witness, Mohamed Siyad. “Some were struck by bullets, but I cannot confirm the number of deaths or injuries.”
AFP was not able to independently verify the casualty figures.
The government later accused the opposition of attempting to destabilise the capital with armed elements, a claim strongly denied by protest organisers.
“This was not a protest organised in good faith; rather, it was intended to destabilise Somalia,” President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told reporters.
“The constitution guarantees citizens the right to express their opinions and demonstrate peacefully, but this does not mean allowing chaos or the use of weapons,” he said.
The violence comes as Somalia faces mounting political uncertainty, with Mohamud’s term officially ending in five days.
Elections are planned for June, but the government continues to face challenges asserting control beyond Mogadishu, as it battles the Islamist group Al-Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency in the Horn of Africa country for nearly two decades.
