Commentary

According to sources in Buroa, the arrests were ordered by the Minister of Finance, Mr. Hussein Ali Du'ale (a.k.a. Mr. Awil), who is from the same clan as the four who were arrested in Buroa.

The detainees were arrested for taking part in a clan meeting in Buroa which lasted for three days and had concluded with a public statement condemning the government for the detention of Qaran leaders, the statement was issued to the local media on October 02, 2007.

The statement said “in conclusion of the three day conference, we are concerned in the manner which the government had handled the Qaran affair and its leaders, the injustices and unfair trial, arrest and detention of the Qaran leaders, we advise and request the government to immediately and unconditionally release the Qaran leaders”.

The persons arrested on Thursday morning by the Somaliland security forces in Buroa are Mr. Mohiadin Mursal Abdi Gaboose (the brother of Dr Gabose, the detained Qaran chairman) and Ali Mohamoud Habi (a.k.a. Ali Baabuur). Both are members of Qaran.

The police station where Gabose and Habi were being held was attacked in the afternoon by an armed clan and family members of Gabose and Habi who tried to free the two from the station. This led to the deaths of one policeman and a civilian who was hit by a stray bullet and died later the following day in Buroa general hospital. Also, four people who were caught in the crossfire were hospitalised in the main Buroa general hospital.

The clan elders arrested on Wednesday were being held in a different location.

The government should be held liable for these events and should stop the continuous arbitrary arrest and detention of the public, elders, political oppositions, human rights activist, journalists and Qaran party members. This is a sad day for human rights and sad day for Somaliland and free loving citizens of the world, as there was no reason for loss of lives or for what happened in Buroa on Wednesday and Thursday morning and afternoon.

Source: Somaliland Times