Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister, Hassan Moalim, has warned opposition politicians against visiting police stations, cautioning that such actions could endanger their safety and disrupt security operations.
Speaking Thursday in Mogadishu, Moalim said opposition leaders should focus on engaging citizens at the district level instead of entering restricted police compounds.
“To the opposition, I say: do not visit police stations,” he said. “Go to the districts, meet with the people, and hear their concerns. Visiting detention centers only puts your lives, and those of others, at risk.”
The warning follows a recent clash in Mogadishu that have intensified tensions between the government and opposition groups. Last week, guards for several opposition lawmakers engaged in armed confrontations with federal forces outside the Warta Nabadda District Police Station. According to government statements, authorities
accused the politicians of attempting to storm the compound by force, an act the Ministry of Information described as a “serious threat to stability.” In response, Interior Security Minister Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail Fartaag
ordered security forces to confront any attempts to destabilize the capital “with an iron fist,” banning the movement of heavy weapons and military vehicles inside Mogadishu.
These confrontations coincided with calls from the Somalia Salvation Forum, a coalition led by former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed,
accusing the government of corruption, unlawful land sales, and overreach in constitutional reforms. The Forum, which announced
plans to sue President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration last month, alleged that the 2012 provisional constitution was amended without due process and that such changes expanded presidential powers while eroding regional autonomy.
Moalim’s remarks on Thursday reiterated the federal government’s pledge to complete Somalia’s long-delayed provisional constitution, a process that has been stalled for over a decade due to political divisions between Mogadishu and federal member states.
“The president made clear during the opening of Parliament that completing the Constitution is one of the government’s top priorities,” Macalin said. “The ongoing consultations are designed to build consensus and deliver a unified national framework, and those efforts are now in their final stages.”
Completing the Constitution is essential for establishing Somalia’s permanent governance structure, clarifying the distribution of power between federal and regional authorities, and ensuring a stable electoral framework ahead of future polls.