MOGADISHU – Tensions flared in the Somali capital on Wednesday after opposition leaders led by former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed arrived at Siinaay Market accompanied by armed security convoys. The visit quickly escalated into violent clashes with government forces already stationed in the area.

According to eyewitnesses, government troops commanded by the Somali Police Commissioner, the Mogadishu Police Chief, and senior officers from the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) had been deployed at the market before the opposition’s arrival. The opposition delegation said their visit was intended to meet a 70-year-old elder who had earlier been assaulted by government forces attempting to demolish his home in the market district.

Moments after the opposition leaders reached the scene, heavy exchanges of gunfire broke out between their guards and the government troops. The confrontation sent shockwaves through the market, forcing traders and residents to flee the area as the fighting intensified.

Speaking to the media shortly after the incident, Mogadishu Police Commissioner Macallin Mahdi accused the opposition of deliberately provoking unrest and plotting to destabilize the capital’s security. The opposition, however, maintains that their presence was solely to express solidarity with the assaulted elder and to denounce what they describe as the government’s heavy-handed tactics against civilians.

The situation in Siinaay Market remains tense as both sides continue to trade blame over the outbreak of violence.