Somalia: Violent Protests in Mogadishu Following the Arrest of Top Army General

Mariel Müller / Deutsche Welle
A militia in Baidoa is led by a former Al-Shabaab member.
20 August 2023
Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu)

Mogadishu, Somalia — Mogadishu witnessed a large and violent protest on Sunday over the arrest of a military officer General Sheegow Ahmed on Saturday morning after a clash.

The protestors poured into the capital's main streets, starting from K5 junction to K-0, around the presidential palace with some areas they clashed with the security forces.

Somali Police arrested General Sheegow and over a dozen of his security guards after a confrontation with police at Kawo-Godey village, leaving at least four people dead.

Hours after police arrested Sheegow and his men, people from the Bantu clans came out and staged a demonstration demanding the immediate arrest of the detained general.

For the second day in a row, Sheegow remains in police custody and will almost certainly face criminal charges relating to acts of instability in the areas he was based.

Government authorities deployed additional personnel in the city's downtown to quell the protests that impacted the businesses and transport on Sunday.

Sheegow defected from Al-Shabaab in 2012 and joined the army during the first term of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

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