Somali opposition announces protest in Mogadishu amid rising political tensions

Wednesday May 6, 2026

Mogadishu (AX) — Somali opposition leaders are preparing a mass rally in Mogadishu on May 10, calling on residents to take to the streets in protest against what they say is the forced displacement of people from the capital and to demand that families be allowed to return to their homes.

Former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, speaking in Mogadishu on Wednesday, said the suffering of residents — especially those uprooted from their neighborhoods — must not be dismissed.

“The people of Mogadishu must come out peacefully and express their voices,” Sheikh Sharif told local media after a meeting of opposition figures at his residence earlier in the day.

The protest is set to take place on the same day as a scheduled high-level political meeting, after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud invited the Somali Future Council for discussions on major national concerns, including the constitution and the electoral process, both longstanding points of friction between the government and the opposition.

The announcement comes as political tensions deepen, with opposition groups unveiling wider plans to influence the country’s political course, while the federal government presses ahead with dialogue efforts and works to complete an electoral framework.

At the center of the dispute are the demolitions, forced evictions and redevelopment drives carried out in Mogadishu over the past two years. Critics, including opposition leaders and civil society organizations, say authorities have acted without due process and have failed to offer adequate compensation or a clear legal basis for the removals.

Federal and Banadir regional authorities have rejected those claims, arguing that the actions are needed to recover public land and bring order to urban development. Still, disagreements over land ownership and the legality of the evictions have only sharpened, further fueling political and legal tensions in the capital.