By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter
MOGADISHU, 12 October 2026 Somalia's Defence Minister, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, has accused some members of the opposition of mobilising militia and of using the claim that "I am being attacked" to create a pretext.
In a Facebook post, Fiqi said that "a conspiracy hatched in recent months" had now turned into a plan aimed at clan mobilisation and the organisation of militia, after, as he put it, no other pretext could be found to carry it out.
The remarks come after the opposition accused the government of troop movements targeting the homes of former leaders in Mogadishu.Fiqi said opposition groups, which he described as "those who believe that power can be won through the gun," had previously made three failed attempts at attacks that he said were funded by foreign actors.
"Government forces have never attacked or struck first; it has always been them who attacked," he said, accusing the opposition of gathering militia in their homes.
Related articles
"No one is above the law, and no one will be allowed to use militia to destabilise security in the capital," he added.
His remarks come as NISA and the opposition have publicly traded accusations of mobilising for conflict and of abductions.
The dispute stems from disagreement over the mandate of state institutions and the electoral process.