MOGADISHU – The Somali Ministry of Information called for peaceful conduct on Sunday as opposition leaders organized large-scale protests over forced evictions and land disputes.
The demonstrations, led by former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, come just days before President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s original term was set to expire on May 15.
To manage the situation, the government designated Engineer Yarisow Stadium as the sole venue for the protests.
However, organizers have called for demonstrations at 22 different sites across the capital, a move the government described as a tactic to “paralyze the city.”
The Ministry warned that “armed elements” might seek to exploit the unrest. The core of the political friction remains the constitutional amendments passed in March, which extended presidential terms to five years—a change the opposition has rejected as unconstitutional.
