Thursday, June 4, 2026 (Baidoa Online) - Heavy fighting erupted in central Mogadishu on Wednesday June 3 after government forces launched coordinated attacks on the residences of former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, in what analysts say marks the most serious internal political confrontation Somalia has faced since the end of the civil war.
The fighting in Howlwadaag district, where Khaire had relocated to organise anti-government protests, lasted approximately 15 hours and involved rocket-propelled grenades, heavy weapons and sustained exchanges of fire that rattled neighbourhoods across the capital. Thousands of residents fled their homes as the clashes spread through central Mogadishu.
"An attack was launched against us by forces commanded by the president whose term has expired," Khaire said in a post on X. "President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud bears full responsibility for today's violent attack on our consultative meeting."
The Crisis Behind the Guns
The root of the confrontation is a constitutional dispute over President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's mandate, which formally expired on May 15, 2026. Mohamud argues that a new constitution passed by parliament in March 2026 extended his term by one year to May 2027. The opposition categorically rejects this, arguing that Mohamud was elected under the 2012 provisional constitution for a four-year term and that amending the constitution to extend his own presidency is illegal. Opposition leaders, regional presidents and former heads of state have united in their rejection, echoing the 2021 crisis when former President Farmaajo overstayed his mandate triggering similar violence.
Khaire had moved from the heavily fortified airport green zone to a residence approximately one kilometre from Villa Somalia to lead planned protests. The government treated this as a hostile act and launched what was described as a security operation, which rapidly escalated into 15 hours of urban combat.
Negotiations and Evacuation Efforts
Following the prolonged fighting, efforts are now underway to negotiate a safe exit for Khaire, along with other transitional leaders and aligned politicians who had gathered at his residence. Sources indicate that a pause in hostilities has been reached at Khaire's location as mediators work to secure a safe evacuation corridor. However fighting continues around the Mirinaayo neighbourhood where former President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed is stationed, with government forces pressing to take full control of the area.
The government's broader objective appears to be to clear opposition figures from their positions within the city and consolidate control over key strategic neighbourhoods surrounding Villa Somalia.
A Country at Stake
The fighting comes at a moment of deep fragility for Somalia. The Somali shilling has effectively collapsed, with the economy running almost entirely on mobile money platforms. EVC Plus, operated by Hormuud Telecom, now handles over 95% of all financial transactions in the country, serving more than 4.5 million Somalis who have no access to traditional banking. Any prolonged instability in Mogadishu directly threatens this system and the livelihoods of millions.
Beyond the economy, the broader political stakes could not be higher. Somalia was on the cusp of holding its first ever one-person one-vote election since the civil war — a landmark that would have represented a genuine democratic transition. That prospect now hangs in serious doubt. The opposition accuses the government of deliberately sabotaging the electoral process by appointing a disputed election commission, extending the presidential term, and now using military force against political opponents.
With South West State already under federal control following the removal of President Laftagareen in March, and tensions simmering in Baidoa over upcoming state elections, the confrontation in Mogadishu risks pulling the entire country into a wider political and security crisis.
Baidoa Online will continue to follow this developing story.
