STORY: Somali security forces restored order in two Mogadishu districts after clashes between government forces and militias allied to opposition politicians, authorities said on Saturday (June 6), as police displayed seized weapons and ammunition in the capital.

Military vehicles patrolled the city while police exhibited guns they said had been recovered from opposition fighters.

"We will not accept anyone seeking leadership through the use of weapons," Banadir region police commander Mahdi Omar said, adding the seized arms had been hidden in different locations.

The information ministry said opposition militias had been disarmed and civilians had returned to normal life, though residents told Reuters the fighters had stopped after mediation by clan elders rather than being disarmed.

The violence erupted ahead of planned protests over President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's decision to remain in office after his term expired last month. Parliament in March approved constitutional changes that could extend his mandate by a year and delay elections.

Police warned that any renewed armed mobilisation would face "strict enforcement."

Somalia has endured decades of conflict since the collapse of the central government in 1991 and continues battling an Islamist insurgency by al-Shabaab militants.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: MOGADISHU, SOMALIA (JUNE 6, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF MILITARY VEHICLES IN MOGADISHU

2. VARIOUS OF GUNS AND AMMUNITION FROM OPPOSITION FIGHTERS ON DISPLAY BY SOMALI POLICE

3. (SOUNDBITE) (Somali) BANADIR REGION POLICE COMMANDER, MAHDI OMAR, SAYING:

"We will not accept anyone seeking leadership through the use of weapons. The era of the gun is over — today is the final day. The weapons we have seized are illegal arms that opposition fighters were using in combat. We recovered them from places where they had been hidden, and they are in large numbers."

4. VARIOUS OF WEAPONS

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Somali) BANADIR REGION POLICE COMMANDER, MAHDI OMAR, SAYING:

"If you bring weapons again, you will be detained and face legal consequences. While you have been safely returned to your homes this time, any future armed actions will result in strict enforcement and will no longer be tolerated from today onwards."

6. VARIOUS OF AUTOMATIC GUNS AND AMMUNITION ON DISPLAY

7. VARIOUS OF MILITARY TRUCKS