Somalis are expected to go to the polls on Thursday for local elections, the first held by direct suffrage in nearly 60 years, under heavy security measures.
More than 503,900 voters are expected to cast their ballots to choose among 1,600 candidates competing for 390 local council seats, local authorities said.
More than 10,000 security personnel will be deployed in the capital, the government said, as it continues to fight the terrorist group al-Shabaab, a battle ongoing since 2006.
The Civil Aviation Authority said the country’s main airport will be closed on Thursday, the day voting takes place in the Banadir region of Mogadishu.
