For the first time in years, Somalis endured a night of gunfire in the capital, Mogadishu, as political factions clashed over an extension of the president’s term.
International observers have expressed concern, with the US embassy in Mogadishu calling the violence “reckless” and urging dialogue.
Here is what we know:
What sparked the clashes?
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s supporters changed the constitution in March laying out the framework for Somalia’s first direct elections, moving away from the clan-based system in which elders pick their representatives.
But opposition parties and rivals strongly opposed the reforms and boycotted the vote, seeing it as a power grab by Mohamud.
They particularly opposed a clause that extended his term as president for a year after it expired on May 15.
Protests were due to be held in Mogadishu on Thursday, but as opposition leaders gathered in the city, clashes broke out between their militias and government forces on Wednesday and continued through the night.
Will elections be held?
The government succeeded in holding an election for local representatives in Mogadishu in December — the first direct vote since 1969 — thanks to improved security in the capital.
But Mohamud’s plan to hold national elections, initially planned for this month, were never realistic, analysts say.
The country is sharply divided along clan and regional lines, and much of it remains under the control of Al-Shabaab, an Islamist insurgent group with ties to Al-Qaeda.
Outlying states like Jubaland and Puntland fiercely defend their autonomy, while Somaliland acts as a completely separate country.
Federal troops attacked and deposed the leader of South West State in March, and clashes continue in the area.
How did we get here?
Somalia collapsed into anarchy in 1991 with the fall of dictator Siad Barre and it has been slowly trying to re-establish a functioning state ever since.
Despite receiving billions of dollars in donor funding, progress has been painstaking, with presidents frequently over-staying their terms and failing to implement reforms.
The opposition accuses the current president, Mohamud, of refusing any compromise and clinging to power.
“The difference from before is that he is actually trying to stay in power at any cost,” said an African diplomat, speaking anonymously.
What comes next?
After the overnight clashes, there was an uneasy calm in Mogadishu on Thursday.
It was not clear if opposition leaders had been detained, or how many casualties had been sustained.
Somali politicians “always manage to get to a very high-tension point and then calm down,” another diplomatic source told AFP, though she warned the government needs to be “responsible and be the adult in the room”.
Meanwhile, most Somalis remain trapped in a dire humanitarian situation.
Three straight seasons of failed rains have doubled the malnutrition rate, displacing hundreds of thousands, while aid donations have fallen dramatically.
The United Nations’ humanitarian arm has slashed its Somalia programme from $2.6 billion in 2023 to $852 million this year, only 13 percent of which had been raised by May.
AFP
