By Hassan Adan

Somali security forces have displayed a cache of weapons and military equipment they say were recovered during operations targeting armed groups linked to opposition politicians following days of fierce clashes in the capital, Mogadishu.

The weapons were presented during a press conference by Banadir Regional Police Commander Mahdi Omar Mumin, popularly known as Macalin Mahdi, at the Mirinaayo compound in Cabdicasiis district, a property associated with former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and one of the areas that witnessed heavy fighting during this week’s violence.

Police officials displayed machine guns, rifles, military vehicles and other equipment which they said were seized during security operations conducted after government forces battled opposition-aligned fighters in parts of Mogadishu.

Speaking during the briefing, Macalin Mahdi said security agencies had successfully disrupted what he described as organized armed groups operating within residential neighborhoods.

“No one will be allowed to undermine the security of Mogadishu,” the police commander said.

The government says the recovered weapons are evidence that armed militias linked to opposition leaders had positioned themselves in civilian areas ahead of planned anti-government demonstrations.

The clashes erupted on Wednesday and continued into Thursday in the Howlwadaag and Cabdicasiis districts, with residents reporting heavy gunfire, explosions and civilians fleeing affected neighborhoods.

The fighting centered around locations associated with prominent opposition figures, including the Dabka area in Howlwadaag district where former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire resides and the Mirinaayo area in Cabdicasiis district where former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed maintains a residence.

Security operations were also reported around the Elite Hotel area along Lido Beach as government forces moved to secure strategic locations and prevent further escalation of the violence.

According to the government, armed groups linked to opposition politicians launched coordinated attacks against security forces and police checkpoints.

Authorities maintain that the operations were aimed at restoring order and recovering illegal weapons.
Opposition leaders strongly reject those accusations.

Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed accused government forces of attacking his residence and condemned the constitutional changes approved earlier this year.

If the President and his soldiers think that we are afraid or that we will flee, we are not going to run away,” he said.

“The government forces encircled and attacked my house,” Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said in a statement

Former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire also accused the government of carrying out what he described as a sustained military assault against opposition leaders and their supporters.

He alleged that heavy weapons were used in densely populated residential areas.

The violence comes against the backdrop of an escalating political dispute over Somalia’s constitutional future.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term officially expired on May 15, 2026.

However, the federal government argues that constitutional amendments approved by both houses of parliament legally extended the presidential term from four years to five years as part of broader political reforms.

The administration maintains that the amendments are necessary to facilitate Somalia’s transition to a one-person, one-vote electoral system and strengthen democratic institutions.

Opposition leaders reject that interpretation, arguing that the constitutional amendments were adopted without broad political consensus and therefore lack legitimacy.

They have accused the government of using the changes to extend the president’s stay in office.

Efforts to resolve the political crisis have so far failed to produce a breakthrough.

Earlier last Month, opposition leaders led by Puntland President Abdullahi Said Deni met representatives of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration inside the heavily fortified Halane compound in Mogadishu.

The talks focused on constitutional amendments, electoral reforms and the country’s political future.

Despite expectations that the discussions could ease tensions, the meeting ended without an agreement.

Both sides remained firm on their positions, leaving the political standoff unresolved.

Following the clashes, the federal government announced that order had been restored in the affected districts and claimed opposition militias had been disarmed.

However, opposition figures disputed that account, saying the fighting subsided after mediation efforts led by traditional elders and community leaders.

The violence prompted concern from the international community, including the United Nations, African Union, United States and United Kingdom, all of which called on Somali leaders to exercise restraint and resolve their differences through dialogue.

President Hassan Sheik Mohamud Administration has been attempting to move Somalia towards democratic elections, replacing a system in which clan elders choose MPs, who in turn select a president.

The opposition disagrees on how direct elections should be conducted and rejects the constitutional amendment in March extending the presidency by a year.

They also argue that new laws on political parties and the appointment of electoral commissioners were not inclusive and would therefore undermine fair elections.

Somalia last held a one-person, one-vote election in 1969 and has been ravaged by civil war for more than 30 years.