Somalia’s Minister of Defence, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, denied that the federal government had attacked the residence of former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, arguing that the government is responsible for national security and has the legal authority to take action against locations where weapons and militias are being amassed.
The Minister stated that if the government had intended to attack Sharif’s residence, it had numerous opportunities to do so but chose dialogue and a peaceful resolution instead. He added that past security-related incidents demonstrated that the government had refrained from military action on several occasions.
The Minister also accused certain opposition politicians and regional administrations of sending armed militias to the site of the tension, noting that weapons had been stockpiled there and that there were movements posing a threat to the capital’s security.
He stated that the government had received intelligence regarding approximately 260 armed soldiers intended to disrupt security. Warning of the potential consequences of establishing armed militias within business premises and hotels, the minister stated that such actions pose a threat to the public and to investment; he called upon the Somali public and religious scholars to prevent a situation he described as a security calamity.
Minister Fiqi emphasized that the government cannot be barred from accessing areas where security risks exist—particularly locations suspected of harboring stockpiles of weapons or serving as staging grounds for acts that undermine security. He stated that it is the government’s duty to avert such threats and safeguard the country’s overall security.
The Defense Minister’s remarks came a day after the opposition accused the Federal Government of launching an incursion against the residence of former Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed—a location where government troops had been observed patrolling in recent days.
