Two Killed, Five Others Injured In Clashes With Somaliland Police
HARGEISA, Somaliland (The Somaliland Globe) - Somaliland Police and protesters clashed in running street battles today, leaving two people dead and two others injured, a hospital official told The Somaliland Globe.
One of the dead- a young man – was hit by a stray bullet as police tried to break up a protest demonstration over the “illegal” closure of parliament by security forces on Tuesday. The other died from gun shot wounds.
The official confirmed to The Somaliland Globe that three others were wounded – one seriously, two slightly.
Police also fired tear gas canisters at protesters and baton-charged lawmakers trying to go into the parliament premises.
“We [lawmakers] were trying to enter the parliament premises when the police began to hit us with sticks and gun butts. I have bruised fingers and my hands are bleeding,” Ahmed Mohamed Diriye, deputy chairman of the Standing Committee told The Somaliland Globe.
“The traditional leaders and members of the House of Elders told us that the parliament would be open for business today but I was denied entry into parliament premises and struck with the butt of gun,” said Ahmed Wayne, KULMIYE lawmaker.
The protest demonstration erupted after president Rayale agreed yesterday to reopen the parliament on Saturday but changed his mind late last night. Earlier, nine members from the House of Elders led by the chairman, Suleiman Mohamoud Aden, and 40 traditional community leaders secured an agreement from the president to reopen the parliament.
Protesters blocked roads with boulders and burning tires and paralyzed the main arterial road in Hargeisa.
A grenade was thrown at a group of policemen, three were injured.
Business centers were closed and central market in Hargeisa was deserted with a thick black smoke bellowing from several places. Sounds of sporadic gun fire could be heard in different parts of the city. At least, one car, owned by the ministry of finance, was set ablaze.
Unconfirmed reports say Radio Hargeisa was taken over by protesters and Chief of the Army disobeyed orders to deploy the army on major city streets.
Special contingent of presidential guardsmen donned in police uniform were doing much of the firing in the centre, witnesses say.
The situation still remains fluid and volatile.
Somaliland Globe
One Response to “Two Killed, Five Others Injured In Clashes With Somaliland Police”
September 14th, 2009 saat: 2:13 pm
Those innocent people were not killed only by Rayaale’s thugs; every red-bearded “suldaan”, greedy politician and everyone who helped and still helps maintain this murderer in power is also an accessory to every murder he undertakes.
Give a gun to a killer! even worse give power to a genocidal war criminal. Rationality is missed in Somaliland.