MOGADISHU, June 4 – Government troops and militias allied with the opposition exchanged fire overnight and on Thursday morning in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, damaging property and forcing some civilians to flee, residents told Reuters.
The violence flared up ahead of planned protests on Thursday over President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s decision to remain in office after his term expired last month. Parliament in March backed constitutional changes that potentially allowed Mohamud to extend his term by a year and push back an election.
Fighting began around 5 p.m. on Wednesday and continued into Thursday morning, with thousands of government troops deployed in Mogadishu’s Howlwadag and Abdiasis districts, where they traded fire with militias supporting the opposition, residents told Reuters.
“A mortar shell landed on my neighbour’s house, injuring a mother. A big house near us is also ablaze, mortars and other weapons landed on it,” one resident, Ahmed Ismail, told Reuters early on Thursday.
Somalia’s information and defence ministers could not be reached for comment as they did not pick up their calls or respond to messages sent to their phones.
At least two armoured vehicles were burnt, Mohamud Farah, another witness, told Reuters. REUTERS
