On Saturday night, the security agencies of Somalia’s Federal Government deployed soldiers on major roads in Mogadishu in an attempt to control potential protesters for the scheduled Sunday protests. According to journalists, troops accompanied by armored vehicles were seen blocking these roads. Sources also reported that soldiers were deployed near the residences of opposition politicians. It has been reported that the main target of these deployments was the residence of the leader of the opposition groups, former Somali President Shariif Sheikh Ahmed, who recently relocated to Mirinaayo village in the north of Mogadishu. A member of the Somali Parliament, Yusuf Hussein Ahmed (also known as Gamadiid), who was present at Ahmed’s residence, stated that the federal government had deployed troops to block all four directions leading to the residence. On Wednesday, former Somali President Ahmed announced that anti-government protests against the evictions of Mogadishu residents would be held in the capital. The Somali Federal government has given the go-ahead for peaceful demonstrations to take place in Engineer Yariisow stadium, but the opposition has planned for the protests to occur in 22 designated areas in Mogadishu. In a press conference held yesterday afternoon, the Minister of Internal Security, Abdillahi Sheikh Ismail (also known as Fartag), stated that the government will not tolerate any disruption of peace in the capital city of Mogadishu.
