Mogadishu, February (WDN) – Somalia’s opposition leaders were granted limited access to Mogadishu airport following a tense standoff that left the capital on edge.

Mahad Salaad, Director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), held a private meeting with former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed at his Mogadishu residence to address the fallout from last night’s incident, when he and former Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble were blocked from entering the heavily fortified Xalane compound.

Sources said Mahad Salad set strict new rules: opposition figures may now use only two gates—the Marina Gate and the Main Gate—and only before 5:00 PM. The move is designed to allow opposition travel while keeping airport security protocols intact.

The incident highlights the growing tension between Somalia’s federal authorities and opposition leaders, with Mahad Salad acting as a key mediator and enforcer in the capital’s high-stakes political landscape.

The airport restrictions are a stark reminder of Mogadishu’s fragile balance of power, where movement, meetings, and access to secure zones are tightly controlled—and where one wrong step can ignite another political crisis.

“The fact that security forces are blocking opposition leaders from a civilian airport is unprecedented,” said a Mogadishu-based analyst. “It shows just how personalized power has become in Somalia’s capital.”

The resolution may have eased immediate tensions, but it underscores a broader truth: in Mogadishu, politics and security remain inseparable — and control over space can define the limits of power.

WardheerNews