Opposition Supporters Turn Out in Rallies Accross Somaliland

Opposition Supporters Turn Out in Rallies Accross Somaliland

 

Large crowds defying government ban on demonstrations showed up at rallies across the country to support the opposition KULMIYE party.

Supporters of KULMIYE party turn out across the country (Photo: Ramaasnews.com)

The Interior minister of Riyale administration, Mr. Cirro, has repeatedly threatened to use force to stop political rallies by the opposition parties.

The police which also turned out in large numbers could not stop the rallies. However, some people say they expect more arrests to follow akin to those that followed previous rallies organized by the party.

During the past two weeks a number of people were detained across the country for participating in political rallies or expressing their political views through the independent media.

Mr. Omar H. Rabi, an intellectual from the western city of Borama, is spending his 7th day in prison after he was jailed by Awdal regional authorities following an open letter he wrote to Riyale appealing to him to refrain from the type of "policies" that create political crisis.

Assassination attempts

The two opposition parties, KULMIYE and UCID, in a joint statement released recently accusing the administration of conspiring to assassinate their leaders. The statement in which the parties reiterated their constitutional rights to hold peaceful political rallies, pointed out several incidents in which they said the lives of their leaders were threatened.

The statement mentioned an incident at Somaliland-Ethiopian border town of Tog Wajaale where a police commander threatened to kill Faisal Ali Farah, UCID chairman. It also mentioned a similar incident at a rally in front of KULMIYE headquarters in Hargeisa, where a man carrying a pistol, fired on the crowds as KULMIYE leaders were addressing them. No one was injured in that incident and police were able to apprehend the suspect. KULMIYE accuses a senior member of Riyale administration to be behind the "attempted assassination".

Requests for a full investigation by the party leaders did not receive a response from Riyale administration. Other reports say the suspect was released by the criminal investigation department (CID).