Mogadishu — Somalia’s federal government has announced new measures aimed at preventing opposition groups from arming themselves inside the capital, amid rising political tensions and failed reconciliation talks.
Defence Minister Ahmed Ma’alin Fiqi declared on Friday that the administration “will never allow any opposition figure to carry weapons in Mogadishu,” stressing that the state had already given the opposition multiple chances for dialogue. “There is no man who can take up a gun in this city. As Defence Minister, I am telling you: it will not happen,” he said in a strongly worded statement.
Fiqi, who has repeatedly defended President Hasan Sheikh Mohamud’s stance on a one-person-one-vote system, insisted that the government would not revert to the indirect clan-based electoral model. He argued that past parliamentary selections had fragmented communities and entrenched divisions.
The move comes as mistrust between the government and opposition deepens, with both sides trading accusations following the collapse of recent talks. Analysts warn that the escalating rhetoric could heighten political instability at a time when Somalia is already facing security, economic, and humanitarian challenges.
