Special forces on Mogadishu streets as fears of conflict mount

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia has yet again witnessed a heightened presence of troops on Wednesday night is the latest sign of a potential crackdown on the opposition.

The Turkish-trained Haram'ad police with armored vehicles have been deployed on the streets of several main junctions after the immediate former Mogadishu police chief Braiger General Sadik John protected by dozens of soldiers moved from the airport facility to Circolo Ufficiale area.

The unusual army movement has created a tense in the city as residents feared fresh clashes between Sadak John's security guards and the government forces amid a political crisis in the country.

The embattled outgoing Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has sacked Sadak John on Monday and stripped the former Mogadishu police boss of all his ranks and discontinues his benefits after attempting to suspend the Lower House session on April 12.

In a video address, the sacked police boss has ordered the MPs to return to their constituencies and seek re-election as their mandate already expired last December 2020 while calling the political leaders to return to Afisyini and end their differences through dialogue.

His call which was welcomed by the opposition candidates in Mogadishu has irked the Villa Somalia and was immediately relieved of his post. His dismissal came hours before the Lower House has illegally extended Farmajo's term for two years.

GAROWE ONLINE