Overview
- Heavy exchanges broke out between state security forces and militias aligned with opposition leaders in Mogadishu, with gunfire and explosions reported across Howl Wadaag, Abdiaziz and Hodan before and into Thursday.
- Opposition figures including former prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire and ex‑president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said their residences were attacked and accused government forces of using heavy weapons and drones, claims the government disputes.
- Witnesses reported mortars, RPGs and armoured vehicles in fighting that forced thousands of residents to flee, damaged buildings and disrupted access to Aden Adde International Airport, while no official casualty toll has been published.
- By early Friday the clashes had largely eased after mediation talks and government statements saying security had been restored in parts of the city and that investigations were under way.
- The United Nations, IGAD, the African Union, the EU and Western embassies condemned the violence and urged immediate de‑escalation, noting the crisis risks diverting forces from the long fight against al‑Shabaab and eroding fragile state‑building gains.