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Friday 19 February 2021 - 11:10

Somalia: Gun Battle Erupts Near Presidential Palace, People Feared Dead

Story Code : 917149
Somalia: Gun Battle Erupts Near Presidential Palace, People Feared Dead
According to local sources, the fighting took place at Daljirka Dahson Square, where Somalia's opposition presidential candidates planned to hold an anti-government rally later in the day.

"The government forces attacked the Maida Hotel, where I and the former president [Sharif Sheikh Ahmed] were staying,” former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said in a brief statement posted on Twitter after the firefight.

“It is unfortunate that the outgoing president is shedding the blood of citizens who are preparing for a peaceful demonstration to express their views,” he added.

The Maida Hotel is located a short distance away from the presidential palace.

The number of casualties is not yet known.

The gunfight comes a day after the Somali government announced that it had banned all public gatherings including demonstrations, but opposition leaders defied the order and prepared to hold a massive rally in the morning.
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