Protest dispersed in central Somalia; 2 killed
Two people were killed and a number of others injured after police fired live rounds into the air to disperse demonstrators.
World Bulletin / News Desk
Two people were killed and a number of others injured on Thursday when authorities dispersed an anti-government protest in the Galhareeri district of Somalia’s central Galguduud region, a local official has said.
Demonstrators threw stones at local police stations, prompting police to intervene to protect government institutions, Ali Pashi, the region’s vice-president, told The Anadolu Agency.
He said police fired live rounds into the air to disperse demonstrators, noting that two people had been killed – including a woman – and a number of others injured.
AA could not independently verify Pashi’s account. Nor have the Somali authorities issued a comment.
Demonstrators, marching through the streets of Galhareeri, chanted anti-government slogans and voiced their support for a religious movement that was recently expelled from the district following confrontations with government troops.
Since December of last year, the Somali army had been involved in a number of violent confrontations with the movement, which was ultimately expelled from the district.
The Islamist movement, known as Ahl al-Sunna wal Jamaa, which is affiliated with Somalia’s Sufi orders, had taken control of several parts of central Somalia.
The movement – alongside government troops – has also been fighting the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group, although it has also accused the government of marginalizing it.
