Somalia’s Fiqi accuses former PM, ex-president of coup attempt amid Mogadishu clashes

Somalia: Fiqi accuses former PM, ex-president of ‘coup attempt’ amid Mogadishu clashes

MOGADISHU, June 4, 2026 – Somalia’s government on Thursday accused a former prime minister and an ex-president of staging an armed bid to overthrow the state, after intense fighting broke out in the capital between government forces and militias aligned with the opposition.

The crisis deepened after hours of heavy gunfire and shelling around the Mogadishu homes of former prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire and former president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, fueling concern that the unrest could spread further in the Horn of Africa nation.

In a sharply worded statement, Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi compared the opposition fighters to Sudan’s feared paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), calling them the group’s “Somali wing.”

“The coup attempt orchestrated by these individuals against the Somali state has been thwarted and is now on the verge of collapse,” Fiqi said in a statement posted on social media.

The minister said the opposition figures had assembled heavily armed militias, adding: “Just as Al-Shabaab hides behind the mask of religion, these groups are attempting to camouflage themselves under the guise of peaceful protests while carrying heavy weaponry.”

Fiqi, without offering evidence, also alleged that some of the politicians were acting for foreign interests, claiming they had been “hired by the United Arab Emirates.”

– ‘Assault’ with drones –

The government’s claims came after Khaire launched his own blistering attack on President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, accusing him of ordering a targeted military operation to wipe out political opponents.

“For more than 20 hours, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has directed a sustained and indiscriminate military assault with the apparent objective of killing me, former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, dozens of respected traditional elders and other political leaders in Mogadishu,” Khaire said.

He said military drones and anti-tank weapons that were meant for operations against Al-Shabaab jihadists were instead used against political rivals in crowded civilian neighborhoods.

The United Nations voiced deep alarm over the violence, saying the clashes had already left civilians dead or wounded and caused damage to critical infrastructure.

– Term extension dispute –

The confrontation is rooted in a bitter dispute over contested constitutional amendments signed into law in March.

The broad reforms extended the terms of both the president and parliament from four years to five. Opposition leaders, including former presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, have strongly rejected the changes, saying they lack national consensus and amount to an unlawful power grab.

A fragile calm returned to parts of Mogadishu late Thursday after mediation by traditional elders and lawmakers, although heavily armed forces from both sides remained in a tense standoff.

The showdown is the most serious political and security crisis Somalia has faced since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud returned to office in 2022.

AXADLETM