Supporters of opposition political figures and state security forces fought in armed clashes that erupted in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu ahead of a planned anti-government demonstration.

Somalis march and protest against the government and the delay of the country's election in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed is under pressure as the Feb. 8 election date came and went without resolution of issues related to how the vote is conducted in the Horn of Africa nation. It cited a rise in COVID-19 cases, but critics called it an attempt to block the protest. Mohamud accused the president of a “coup.”AdThe United Nations and others have urged Somali political leaders to solve their differences quickly. AdMembers of parliament and senators then elect Somalia’s president.

Mogadishu Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman, third from left, is seen here during a ceremony in 2018. MOGADISHU, Somalia - Abdirahman Omar Osman, the mayor of Somalia's capital Mogadishu, succumbed to wounds sustained in a suicide bombing in the city, the government said on Thursday. Osman died at a hospital in Qatar where he had been undergoing treatment since July 25 following the bomb attack on a government building in the city. Al-Shabaab has launched many deadly attacks in Somalia targeting public places, including hotels and an airport. Prominent journalist and Youtube star, Hodan Nalayeh and her husband and other top government officials were among those who died in the Kismayo attack.