Many forces heavily attacked us, I am now on my chest in an alley. This is a massacre,” protester Farah Omar said

 



Gunfire and rockets exploded on Friday in Mogadishu as Somali government forces clashed with opposition supporters angered by delayed elections, fighting that could split the military along clan lines and strengthen the al Qaida-linked insurgency.

Video taken showed showed civilians in facemasks - accompanied by friendly soldiers in red berets with ammunition belts wrapped around them - waving Somali flags scattering before gunfire erupted as well as heavier explosions.

“Many forces heavily attacked us, I am now on my chest in an alley. This is a massacre,” protester Farah Omar said. He said Turkish-trained special forces troops known as Gorgor were among those attacking demonstrators.

Another video showed flames where a rocket propelled grenade hit a row of shops opposite the airport entrance.

The spillover of political rivalries into open conflict will dismay Somalia’s allies and play into the hands of the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgency, which mounts attacks on civilians around East Africa in its bid to install strict Islamic law.

“The military is dissolving and many troops seemingly reverting to clan loyalties,” said Colonel Ahmed Abdullahi Sheikh, who served for three years until 2019 as the commander of Somalia’s elite U.S.-trained Danab unit.

“It’s a mess. There’s no longer any command structure whatsoever.”

“My fear is that many SNA (Somali National Army) outstations will leave their bases to come and participate in the fighting and give more ground to al Shabab. This will really empower al Shabab. Over a decade’s worth of gains might be lost".

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