Mogadishu police chief fired over attempt to suspend Somali parliament

Mogadishu's police chief announced he suspended parliament, saying he was acting unilaterally to prevent lawmakers from extending the president's term, only to be fired moments later by the police commissioner.

"We have stopped the parliament session today. We have a responsibility bigger than a personal one. We have to solve anything that can bring violence and war in Mogadishu," Saadaq Omar Hassan told local TV station Universal in a live speech. "The four-year term has ended."

READ MORE: What’s happening in Somalia?

Moments later, Somalia's police commissioner Hassan Mohamed Hijar, announced on Facebook that Hassan had been fired and replaced on Monday.

The chaos underscores the widening divisions within the Horn of Africa's security services over extending the four-year term of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who faces growing pressure to quit after his term as national leader ended in February.

READ MORE: Suicide bombing in Somalia's capital leaves several dead