Somalia’s main opposition bloc has warned that security force deployments around the Mogadishu residence of former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed could provoke armed confrontation, deepening an already tense political standoff in the capital.
The main opposition coalition, Somali Future Council (SFC), said that troops had been positioned near Ahmed’s home and called on federal authorities to halt what it described as provocations, according to Shabelle Media.
At a media briefing on October 12, senior opposition figures including former Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon and MP Abdirahman Odowaa accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of planning an operation against Ahmed, and they warned that any move on the former president’s residence could ignite wider violence in Mogadishu.
However, the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said that armed men linked to Ahmed attacked its forces in Wadajir district and sought to provoke a confrontation, alleging that some individuals entered nearby homes carrying small arms, machine guns and grenade launchers.
Ahmed’s office rejected the allegations as fabricated, saying government forces had blockaded the area, obstructed deliveries of food and water, and detained some of his staff. The former president also denied that his guards had harassed NISA personnel.
Former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire warned that military movements near the homes of former national leaders risked pushing the capital into instability.
The Future Council also expressed concern about possible action against other opposition politicians’ residences.
The standoff comes amid a broader dispute over Somalia’s electoral process and the legitimacy of federal institutions. Opposition leaders have rejected constitutional changes that extended President Mohamud’s mandate and reshaped the electoral framework, demanding instead a consensual electoral agreement and a return to the 2012 constitution.
