Hiiraan Online
Monday February 6, 2017
Mogadishu's streets have been ordered empty ahead of national polls
Mogadishu (HOL) - Officials in Mogadishu have implemented a complete 48-hour lockdown from 6 pm until the conclusion of the Somali presidential elections on Wednesday, February 8th, citing security attacks.
The curfew was announced on Sunday by the Mayor of Mogadishu, Yusuf Hussein Jima’ale who said the drastic measure is in place to thwart any attack from Al Shabaab.
“ We need Mogadishu residents to be more patient for the next two days as major roads will remain closed to prevent the terror group Al Shabaab from carrying out attacks to disrupt our elections," he said.
He also called for the shutdown of schools and universities until after the elections.
The strict curfew forbids all civilians vehicles from being on the public roads; this includes taxis and auto rickshaws, a standard mode of transport in the capital. The only exception is vehicles with military or government tags.
Thousands of soldiers, officers, and other security personnel have been deployed to patrol the streets and enforce the curfew.
Authorities are also shutting down local air traffic ahead of the polls. Somalia’s Civil Aviation announced today that all flights to Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport would be suspended.
Ali Jama Jangli, the Minister of Civil Aviation, held a press conference where he announced that no aircraft would fly in or out of the capital until after a new president is elected. He assured that flights would resume on Thursday.
The move comes on the heels of a last minute decision to change the election venue from the police academy to the airport because of security and corruption concerns.
Al Shabaab has vowed to undermine the Federal government by launching attacks in a bid to disrupt the elections.
329 members of Somalia’s bi-cameral parliament will elect the next Somali president through a secret ballot on Wednesday.