Somalia Opposition Candidates insist on Protest Despite Ban on Public Gatherings

Somalia Opposition Presidential candidates have confirmed they will attend a mass protest expected to take place in Mogadishu on Friday, despite the ban on public gatherings over fear of covid19 by the government. They said they are in their final preparation to attend the planned protests against president Farmajo.

According to reports some members of the council of opposition presidential candidates have already begun to book hotel rooms near Daljirka where people are expected to gather on Friday.

They called on security forces not to interfere in the demonstrations, saying that civilians’ right to protest. They added that the demonstrations would go on as planned in the face of Somalia’s latest restrictions on public gatherings.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Somalia’s Information Minister Osman Abukar Dubbe; and Somalia’s Health Minister, Fowzia Abikar, announced that public gatherings would be banned. Students were sent home for the foreseeable future as schools and universities shuttered their doors. An exception was made for madrassas and mosques, which will remain open but still must adhere to social distancing rules.