Gunfire erupts in Somalia’s capital between soldiers loyal to the government and others angry at the country’s leader as tensions spike over President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed’s extended stay in power.
There is no report of casualties, but the gunfire heard across much of the city highlighted earlier warnings that the election standoff could increase instability in the Horn of Africa nation.
The estimated hundreds of mutinous soldiers, still in uniform, took up key positions in northern Mogadishu as some residents hid. There has not been any immediate comment from the government.
The Horn of Africa country faces growing instability after the lower house of parliament approved a two-year extension of the president’s mandate and that of the federal government, sparking the fury of Senate leaders and vocal criticism of the international community. The African Union was the latest to condemn the actions.
Hundreds of protesters take to the streets of Mogadishu, chanting that they don’t want a dictatorship. They also stamped on and set fire to images of President Mohamed.
