Mogadishu (AX) — Former Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire on Sunday warned that military deployments near the Mogadishu residences of former national leaders could ignite violence as a widening political dispute pits the federal government against opposition figures.
Khaire accused forces operating under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s direction of provoking tensions around the homes of former leaders, including former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
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“I strongly caution against the provocations and military movements by forces acting under the instructions of outgoing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, around the homes of former national leaders in Mogadishu,” Khaire wrote on X.
“These actions are reckless, endanger lives, and risk plunging the capital into insecurity while deepening an already serious political crisis,” he added.
Khaire, who served as prime minister from 2017 to 2020 and is now an opposition figure, called on the government and opposition to resume negotiations on Somalia’s contested electoral process.
“I reiterate, military force, threats and intimidation cannot resolve Somalia’s political crisis or its wider national challenges,” Khaire wrote. “The only way forward is through inclusive dialogue and a political agreement on the elections.”
His statement came after a growing dispute between Sharif and Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) over a security incident in Mogadishu’s Wadajir district.
On Sunday, NISA accused armed men it identified as militias operating under Sharif’s command of attacking and obstructing members of its Public Protection Forces in Wadajir’s General Da’ud section.
The agency said the men, armed with AK-47 rifles, BKM machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, forcibly entered homes in the Tiintiinley neighborhood and sought to provoke government forces into an armed confrontation.
NISA said its personnel showed restraint in an effort to prevent violence and protect civilians.
“The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) is a law-abiding security agency that operates independently of political rivalries,” the agency said, adding that it would not permit its forces to be pulled into political disputes.
The agency further alleged that forces aligned with Sharif attacked its personnel on June 24 and abducted an officer conducting official duties. It said those forces then obstructed another security operation three days later.
Sharif rejected the allegations hours afterward, accusing government forces of targeting members of his office and limiting movement around his residence.
“National security agencies must remain independent of political rivalries, operate within the law and protect all citizens equally,” Sharif’s office said. “We call upon the leadership of NISA to cease misleading the Somali public.”
Sharif’s office alleged that government forces had positioned themselves around his residence, abducted some members of his staff and imposed roadblocks that disrupted deliveries of food and water.
It also said Sharif’s security personnel had exercised restraint to avert an armed confrontation.
Neither side’s allegations have been independently verified.
The standoff is unfolding amid a protracted political dispute between Mohamud’s government and opposition groups over constitutional amendments, the electoral system and the length of federal institutions’ mandates.
Opposition leaders are seeking a negotiated electoral agreement, while the federal government has promoted a transition to direct voting through political parties.
Government-opposition talks collapsed in July after the two sides failed to reach agreement on the structure and administration of the next elections. A central issue was whether Somalia should adopt direct, party-based elections or preserve elements of its longstanding clan-based power-sharing arrangement.
International partners have repeatedly pressed Somali leaders to return to negotiations and agree on a common electoral roadmap, warning that unresolved political disputes could fuel further instability.
Political tensions have previously erupted into armed clashes in Mogadishu, raising fresh concerns that disputes involving heavily armed security personnel and government forces could once again endanger the capital’s security.
