MOGADISHU, June 5 (Reuters) – Somali security forces have restored order in two districts of the capital, the information ministry said on Friday, a day after government troops and militias allied with opposition politicians fired at each other, forcing some civilians to flee.
This week’s violence flared up ahead of planned protests over President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s decision to remain in office after his term expired last month. The protests did not happen.
Parliament in March backed constitutional changes that potentially allowed Mohamud to extend his term by a year and push back an election.
“Opposition group militias have been disarmed and removed, and civilians have returned to their daily lives,” the information ministry said in a statement.
Reuters could not reach opposition leaders for comment, and residents said the militias were not disarmed but rather stopped fighting after mediation involving clan elders.
On Thursday, former president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who was in power from 2009 to 2012, had said government forces had targeted his home and accused Mohamud’s government of “illegally altering the constitution.”
Also on Thursday, former prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire said government troops had used heavy weapons, including anti-tank weapons and drones in a densely populated area.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the claims at the time, and on Friday the information ministry accused Ahmed and Khaire of endangering ordinary people’s lives by sending their militias into residential areas and attacking police officers.
The United Nations, African Union and an East African regional bloc had all urged those involved in the violence to resolve their disputes through dialogue.
Somalia has endured conflict and clan battles with no strong central government since the fall of autocratic ruler Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
The Horn of Africa country has also been grappling with a nearly two-decade-long insurgency led by the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group.
(Reporting by Abdi Sheikh; Writing by George Obulutsa;Editing by Alexander Winning and Sharon Singleton)
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