Somalia’s opposition decries ‘assassination attempt’ on ex-President Mohamud

The Wednesday evening incident prompted an apology from the country’s Justice Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, who described the shooting as “accidental”. 

Mr Nur told local media that he had launched an inquiry into the incident involving guards from Somalia’s Custodial Corps.

But happening amid a tense electioneering period, politicians allied to the former president are insisting it was an assassination attempt.

Abdirazak Mohamed, a federal MP and former internal security minister, called on Prime Minister Hussein Roble to look into the incident.

“The PM must investigate the assassination attempt against ex-President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. I, myself [sic] was travelling with the President along with former chief of NISA (National Intelligence Service Agency ex-director Abdullahi Ali). This is unacceptable provocation,” he wrote on his Twitter page on Wednesday night.

Abdulkadir Hashi, a former education minister, also expressed doubts that the attack was an accident. 

“Some accidental shootings are simply not acceptable. This one tops them! I am happy the President is safe.”

The incident, which Mr Mohamud himself has remained quiet about, mirrors another in April when a hotel in which opposition leaders, including ex-president Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, were lodging was attacked.

While no one was injured in the shootout, they protested the apparent lapse in security for former leaders.

On Wednesday, the prison guards argued they had been provoked by the ex-president’s security detail.

Mahad Abdirahman, the head of the Custodial Corps, condemned the incident but did not take responsibility, saying his forces had only responded to the leader’s guards opening fire.

Somalia is planning to hold the much-delayed elections within two months after the federal government and federal member states agreed on a deal to implement indirect elections.

This week, though, the stakeholders have bickered on the list of electoral managers, with the opposition demanding that up to 67 names be removed for being partisan or serving in security agencies.

The final list is expected to be published by the prime minister, whose office now has the duty to prepare for the key poll, as well as providing security for it.

Mistrust, however, exists between the opposition and the government of President Mohamed Farmaajo.

Mr Farmaajo’s term expired in February but failure by the parties to agree on an electoral deal delayed the polls, which should have been held from December last year. 

Under a special law, incumbents can stay on until a new team of officials is elected.