Mogadishu (AFP) - Heavy gunfire broke out in central Mogadishu on Wednesday as Somalia’s former prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire said he was attacked by government forces ahead of planned protests.

Somalia has fallen into a new political crisis after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced that his term, duen to expire on May 15, had been extended for a year.

The opposition and regional leaders have rejected the move and demonstrations were due to take place on Thursday.

The former prime minister relocated from his base in the heavily fortified green zone around the airport to his residence in the city, in order to take part in the protests.

“An attack was launched against us by forces commanded by the president whose term has expired,” Khaire said in a social media post, adding they had been preparing for a “peaceful demonstration” the following day.

An AFP journalist filmed panicked residents in the Howl Wadaag district near his home, with loud gunshots heard in the background.

Witnesses told AFP they saw armed opposition forces clashing with Somali police.

“The shooting lasted for about 15 minutes before it subsided. They even used RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades), and the sound of the explosions could be heard across the surrounding neighbourhoods,” said one witness, Saleban Mahad.

The government condemned the “unfortunate incident”, blaming the violence on “armed opposition group militias” organised by Khaire, who had “directly targeted a police facility”.

The statement, posted on X, said an investigation had been launched, and reiterated the government “will not tolerate any attempt to undermine the security of the capital city”.

Gunfire was also reported near near the residence of former president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, close to the popular Lido Beach area, according to witnesses.

“We are staying inside our homes, and there is very little movement on the roads, even though the fighting has stopped,” resident Mohamed Ali told AFP. Details on the cause of the clash were unclear.

- Election plan -

The president has been attempting to move Somalia towards democratic elections, replacing a system based around clan elders.

Mohamud argues he was given an extra year in the presidency when a new constitution was passed by parliament in March that set the framework for polls.

But with the country deeply divided between rival clans, and much of it under the control of Al-Shabaab, an Islamist insurgent group, there has been little progress on organising elections beyond a few localised pockets.

Opposition and regional leaders have strongly opposed Mohamud’s plan, seeing it as an attempt to centralise power.

Foreign powers, primarily the United States and Britain, have attempted to broker talks between the government and opposition to little avail.

Ex-president Ahmed has also moved into central Mogadishu for Thursday’s protest.

He criticised the attack on Khaire, saying the president “seeks to cause further bloodshed despite not having a legitimate official mandate”.

“This attack will not stop the demonstrations by residents of the capital who are protesting against injustice, displacement, and the abuse of government power,” he said on X.

Previous presidents have also stayed in office beyond their mandates.

The last president, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, stayed more than a year in office after the official end of his mandate in 2021, triggering violence and international condemnation.