Somalia Bans Opposition Protests In Mogadishu

Opposition presidential candidates say they will hold anti government rally on Friday.

The Somalian government on Tuesday banned protests in the capital Mogadishu due to rising COVID-19 cases and security threats in the Horn of Africa country.
"Any protests in Mogadishu, whether anti-government or pro-government, are illegal and will not be allowed," Internal Security Minister Hassan Hundubey Jima'le said in a news conference in Mogadishu.
The announcement comes after the opposition presidential candidates, led by former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, said they will continue to hold protests and called a fresh anti-government rally on Friday.
"This is a political issue that needs political discussion. They are now dangerously using the public for the sake of a political agenda. This is dangerous and has to stop immediately," Jawahir Mohamud Jama, chairperson of Banadir Women Organization, told Anadolu Agency over the phone. -