Hargeisa (SL Times) – On Thursday, Somaliland President, Dahir Rayale Kahin, blamed the killing of Richard and Enid Eyeington on terrorist networks.

The British couple were shot and killed last Monday night, as they watched television in their residence, located near Sheikh Secondary School, about 200km east of Hargeisa.

The Eyeingtons arrived in Somaliland in September 2002 to teach at Sheikh Secondary School, which was re-opened in January this year after being rehabilitated and equipped by SOS. Mr. Eyeington, 62, agreed to become headmaster of the school after SOS asked him to find suitable candidate for the job.

A number of Sheikh town residents about 3km to the northeast of the school said they heard the sound of gunfire shots coming from the direction of the school Monday night at around 8:30pm. But the murder was discovered in the early morning of Tuesday, when the couple failed to respond to the usual knock on their front door by a local Housemaid called Faiza Abdulla.

A Kenyan and a Philippino guests, who were also aid workers, had spent the night in a room next to the Eyeingtons living room but said they were unaware of the shooting.

The Eyeingtons' bodies were taken to Nairobi on Wednesday morning en-route to England.

According to the police, 10 people have been arrested in connection with the killing. The suspects under arrest include 2 policemen who were attached to the school as security officers and one watchman. Eight of the people taken in police custody have been identified as follows:

Daud Abdi Adan (policeman)
Abadir Ali Jabane (policeman)
Saeed Ali Hindi (watchman)
Ismael Haji Abdillahi Diriye (civilian)
Ibrahim Ali Haji Abdillahi (civilian)
Mohamed Ali Haji Abdillahi (civilian)
Abdisalan Mohamed Haji Abdillahi (civilian)

So far, it is not clear whether the culprits are among those arrested. However, there is strong suspicion among officials of the Somaliland government, as well as the local population, that the murder was the work of Islamic fundamentalist groups.

According to another theory, the killing of the Eyeingtons could have been planned by fundamentalists in conjunction with anti-Somaliland forces in Somalia. There is also a general belief among investigators that local elements were involved in the operation.

Somalilanders throughout the country were outraged by the killings. President Dahir Rayale Kahin indicated Thursday that there are reasons to believe a connection existed between the killings of Dr. Annalena Tonelli in Borama on Oct 5 and the Eyeingtons in Sheikh last Monday night. He blamed the killings on terrorist networks and anti-Somaliland forces.

Describing the murder as beastly acts aimed at destabilizing Somaliland, president Rayale said his government will not rest until the perpetrators of these crimes are caught and brought to justice. He also disclosed that the country was under the threat of what he described as a new type of terrorism.

The Somaliland leader vowed that his administration is determined to fight attempts to turn Somaliland into a safe haven for terror groups. He told Somalilanders to stay vigilant and cooperate with the country’s security authorities in thwarting terrorist plans.
Mr. Rayale also appealed to the international community for help in combating terrorism in his country.

Memorial meetings honoring Richard and Enid Eyeington continued to be held in the last 4 days in different parts of the country. Shocked and grief-stricken Somalilanders poured into the streets in such cities as Hargeisa, Berbera and Borama as soon as the news spread Tuesday that the headmaster of Sheikh Secondary and his wife were gunned down by assassins.

Since Tuesday, the government has been under tremendous public pressure to find out the killers and try them as soon as possible.
but the security authorities have been frustrated by the lack of the basic equipment for conducting an effective investigation. Though 2 persons are in police custody in connection with Tonelli’s murder, the Sheikh killings might turn out to be a more difficult case to solve, given the poor capacity of the authorities. The fact that the Somaliland is unrecognized also handicaps its ability to deal with situations like this.

By contrast, the people who committed the murders have shown a great deal of professionalism in both the planning and execution of their operations. The hitmen demonstrated a lot of skill in picking their targets and planning their escape. The fact that they did two operations within 2 weeks from each other has all the markings of al-Qaida, which is known for hitting a target, and just when you think the worst is over, they hit again with an even deadlier blow. This is what they did in the Nairobi and Tanzania blasts. Al-Ittihad which is a very likely force behind the recent murders in Somaliland has close links with al-Qaida and may have adopted their tactics.

It was revealed that Mr. Eyeington was hit by 9 bullets on various parts of his body. One bullet each struck his forehead, right forehead, right forearm, left forearm, beneath the right armpit and the right side base of the neck while the right inguinal area and the right sub-auxiliary were hit by 2 bullets each. At least two bullets were believed to have struck the upper part of Enid’s skull. It was not yet clear which type of guns were used in the killing.

Meanwhile, Somaliland president Rayale announced Thursday that all illegal immigrants will be required to leave the country within the next 45 days. The President said he gave orders to the Ministry of Interior to take the necessary measures for the expulsion of illegal immigrants. Thousands of immigrants from Somalia and Ethiopia have been living in Somaliland since the mid-nineties.


 

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