Mogadishu feels tense tonight. Things shifted fast. Around 9:38 PM, heavy gunfire erupted near the Sayidka intersection—just down the road from Villa Somalia, the presidential palace. Earlier, the city seemed quiet, politicians exchanging jabs, but now it’s turned chaotic.
Our contacts say security forces are rushing to set up sandbags and blocking main roads to the “Red Zone.” They aren’t wasting time, either—there’s less than three hours left until President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term officially runs out.
On the streets, you can sense the emotions boiling over. In Howlwadaag and Hodan, crowds of young men are burning tires and shouting against a term extension. Government troops fired warning shots near Sayidka to push back protesters heading toward parliament.
If you’re trying to get anywhere tonight, forget it. Police have pretty much locked down Maka Al-Mukarama road. Best advice? Just stay inside.
Meanwhile, two former Presidents went live on Facebook about forty-five minutes ago, making an urgent appeal for the military to stay out of politics—and not shoot their own people.
The mood’s grim. A shop owner in Bakara Market was shutting early and told us, “We’ve seen this movie before. When the politicians don’t agree, the streets pay the price.”
This isn’t just about the deadline tonight. People are scared Somalia might lose the peace it’s fought so hard to reclaim over the past two years, all because politicians can’t work things out.
Right now, everyone’s holding their breath. If the gunfire intensifies or if soldiers start splitting along clan lines—as happened in April 2021—it could turn Mogadishu into a city divided by “Green Lines” before morning.
Looking ahead to the next couple of hours:
By 11 PM, we expect a statement from the Ministry of Internal Security. Then comes midnight—the critical moment. If President Mohamud doesn’t give a speech, the opposition says they’ll name a caretaker leader before dawn.
Bottom line: The city’s on edge. Sirens and gunfire are taking over, drowning out the usual nighttime energy. We’ll be watching closely as this unfolds, all through the night.
