Armed clashes and heavy gunfire erupted overnight in several districts of Mogadishu, Somalia, on June 3-4 as tensions over delayed elections escalated into violence between federal government forces and opposition-aligned fighters, BBC reported on June 4. Defense Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi accused former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed — both key opposition figures — of attempting to stage an armed coup by mobilizing militia fighters under the cover of planned demonstrations against President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's disputed one-year term extension following the expiry of his mandate on May 15.

Somalia's parliament in March approved a set of constitutional amendments that, in a major shift away from the traditional clan-based system, introduced universal suffrage and extended the terms of both the president and members of parliament from four to five years with immediate effect. However, opposition groups strongly rejected the reforms, with the Somali Future Council arguing that the government pushed the changes through without sufficient political consensus or meaningful consultation.