UK calls for calm, urges negotiation amid violence in Somalia

Due to a heavy clash that broke out in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, the UK government has urged for calm and called for dialogue as fighting may lead to unwanted civil war.

Gunfire erupted in Somalia’s capital on Sunday between soldiers loyal to the government and others angry at the country’s leader as Farmajo refuses to heed international calls for cancelation of term extension
Rival units in the security forces and some former warlords and clan leaders clashed on Sunday.

The British embassy in Somalia said the violence reports were “deeply concerning”.
The international community has been calling for dialogue on the election impasse in the country after parliament extended President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo’s term by two years.

The protesters reportedly chanted: “We do not want a term extension. We do not want Farmajo. We do not want dictatorship.”
Former Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and opposition leader Abdirahman Abdishakur said pro-government soldiers had attacked their homes.The government has since denied the accusations.

Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble called for negotiations after Sunday’s violence.
There were no reports of casualties, but the gunfire heard across much of the city highlighted earlier warnings that the election standoff could increase instability in the Horn of Africa nation.