The Federal Government of Somalia has announced that security forces have concluded a 48-hour operation to prevent the movement of opposition leaders’ forces.
A press release from the Somali Ministry of Information said that an organized militia group that sought to create insecurity in Mogadishu, which it said was organized by politicians including Hassan Ali Khaire and Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, had been dismantled.
“These militias, armed with heavy weapons, entered neighborhoods in the capital and then launched attacks on police forces and civilians using heavy weapons. Security forces dealt with these militias, which were organized by politicians including Hassan Ali Khaire and Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, with caution,” the government press release said.
The ministry said that during the operation, security forces disarmed the illegal militias, as it put it.
It also said that security and judicial institutions have launched an official investigation into the matter, and that anyone involved in these serious crimes will be brought to justice.
“The Somali government considers such acts unacceptable, illegal and in response to internal and external enemy interests, and the government clarifies that only security forces are allowed to possess legal weapons, and the rest are unacceptable,” the government statement said.
The press release stated that the government will never accept militias and illegal weapons, and anyone who engages in such acts will face strict legal action.
“The Federal Government warns any individual or group engaged in such acts to be cautious and to refrain from them,” the government statement said.
After long tag of war and political instability in the country due to several factors like successionist ambitions, semi-autonomous administration of Puntland and the federal government of Somalia the situations escalated and turn into street battle in Mogadishu.
However, this time the coup failed because the people of Mogadishu re-acted differently and opposition was weakened due to weak popularity and the lack of clear unified political agenda that they can sell to the nation in the capital and surrounding areas.
However, Somali political system has been vulnerable to clan-politics and personal interests because of the fragmentation of the Somali people and the lack of political maturity among political elites of the country in the last 35 years.
The current government led by President Hassan enjoys certain support and credibility in Somalia and in the capital in specific because of his late commitment in security and state-building efforts.
Written: Omar Ahmed Malin