Civilians fled their homes in the Somali capital on Tuesday fearing a fresh outbreak of violence following deadly street clashes and warnings that the country’s security forces could be splintering into rival factions. xMogadishu is witnessing its worst political violence in years after elections were delayed and the president extended his mandate despite warnings that doing so risked instability in the fragile Horn of Africa country. Residents in Siigaale, a neighbourhood in southern Mogadishu, said opposition reinforcements arrived overnight and had taken up positions not far from government troops. “Use of security forces for pursuit of political objectives is unacceptable,” UNSOM said in a statement. Somalia analyst Omar Mahmood said the fracturing of Somalia’s security forces along these lines puts the already-fragile country on a “precipice”.

Source: The Guardian April 27, 2021 13:52 UTC