Somalia’s opposition leaders have announced plans for a major demonstration in the capital on Sunday to protest what they describe as forced evictions and demolitions affecting poor residents.

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Former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed made the announcement on Wednesday while flanked by senior opposition figures.

He described the planned gathering as peaceful and urged security agencies not to interfere with demonstrators exercising what he termed their constitutional rights.

“The right to housing and the freedom to demonstrate are constitutional rights, not privileges that can be curtailed by the state,” Sheikh Sharif said.

The opposition claims that demolitions of informal settlements in Mogadishu over the past two years have displaced large numbers of vulnerable residents and worsened the city’s internally displaced persons (IDP) crisis.

Some critics have also alleged that state and privately owned land was later sold following the demolitions, claims the government has not publicly responded to.

Sheikh Sharif called on President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to halt the evictions.

“I call on President Hassan Sheikh to respect the constitutional right to housing. Every Somali has the right to shelter and security,” he added.

He also appealed to Somali youth to participate peacefully in the planned demonstration.

Major rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have previously criticised forced evictions in Mogadishu, saying some displaced families were removed without adequate notice or alternative housing.

In response, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre described the protest call as “a miscalculated political move” that could undermine the city’s fragile stability.

He also accused some organisers of advancing foreign interests and noted that several opposition leaders had declined an invitation for talks aimed at resolving the political standoff.

If it proceeds, the protest would mark one of the largest public demonstrations in Mogadishu in recent years.

Opposition leaders said they hope the government will address their concerns before Sunday to avoid confrontation.

The planned protest comes amid rising political tension over the lack of an agreed election roadmap as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s current term nears its end.

The Banadir regional administration had not issued an official response to the planned demonstration by Wednesday evening.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud first served as Somalia’s president between 2012 and 2017 before returning to office after winning the May 15, 2022, presidential election.

One of the biggest challenges facing his administration remains the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab, which controls or influences parts of rural Somalia and continues to stage attacks in Mogadishu and other regions despite ongoing military operations backed by African Union forces.