MOGADISHU, Somalia — Former Somali president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed strongly criticized the arrest of young people said to oppose the policies of Somalia’s federal government, following a series of detentions in Mogadishu in recent days.
Sharif described the arrests as “injustice and provocation,” accusing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of ordering measures targeting prominent youth figures in the capital.
“I want to make it clear to the Somali public that the repeated actions being taken by Hassan Sheikh Mohamud are creating division and mistrust at a time when pressure on the youth and residents of the capital is increasing,” Sharif said in a statement.
The former president also warned security forces involved in carrying out the arrests and called for the immediate release of the detained youths.
Sharif’s remarks come amid escalating political tensions between Somalia’s federal government and opposition groups, which have increasingly voiced concern over the security and political situation in Mogadishu.
