Mogadishu (WDN) — With just about two weeks remaining in office, the administration of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is facing escalating allegations of preparing a high-risk security operation in Mogadishu, one that critics warn could push the capital toward internal confrontation.
In a development that has taken many observers by surprise, a security meeting at the presidential palace reportedly approved a plan for the Federal Government to seize weapons held in the Gubadley and Dayniile districts ahead of May 15, 2026, the constitutional end of the current federal administration mandate.
The timing of parallel administrative changes has only intensified scrutiny. On the same day, the Mayor of Mogadishu, Muungaab, has appointed new district commissioners for both Gubadley and Dayniile, positions now filled by officers drawn directly from the security services.
These new appointments by Mayor Muungaab contradicts the recently publicized local council elections that was held in Mogadishu on December 2025, which Villa Somalia claimed had ended the practice of appointing city councils and mayors. The move is widely viewed as part of President Hassan’s broader effort to tighten operational control in areas identified as strategically sensitive.
Further raising the stakes, sources indicate that plans are underway to remove General Saney Abdulle, commander of the 3rd Brigade of the 12 April Division of the Somali National Army. His dismissal, insiders say, would be swiftly followed by an operation to disarm both him and the forces under his command.
At the center of the unfolding crisis, General Saney is now reportedly viewed within government circles as a potential defector, someone who could align with opposition factions amid intensifying political tensions.
According to multiple accounts, the anticipated disarmament operation is being preceded by a systematic clearing of potential resistance. Officials believed to be sympathetic to the general have been removed from key posts. In one of the most notable moves, the former district commissioner of Gubadley was abruptly dismissed and replaced by a military officer, Colonel Yusuf Muse Guure—an appointment seen as laying the groundwork for an impending security operation.
The restructuring appears to extend beyond civilian administration. Sources suggest that elements within local police command structures are also being reshuffled or sidelined, clearing the path for what insiders describe as a fast-tracked operation unfolding against a rapidly closing political deadline.
The convergence of these moves, security planning, administrative reshuffles, and targeted removals has alarmed political analysts, who see a dangerous intersection of political uncertainty and military maneuvering.
In a city already burdened by deep political divisions, the prospect of an armed operation targeting a senior military commander raises the risk of escalation within the security apparatus itself, where loyalties remain complex and, at times, fragmented.
“This is not just a security measure,” a political observer told WardheerNews. “It carries all the hallmarks of a political gamble with potentially explosive consequences.” As the clock ticks down on the administration’s final days, Mogadishu is increasingly on edge—caught between a government moving decisively to assert control and a political environment growing more resistant to unilateral action.
Whether this moment passes as a contained operation or spirals into a broader crisis may depend on decisions made in the coming days.
WardheerNews