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Hargeysa,
Somaliland, August 22, 2009 (SL Times) – Somaliland’s opposition
parties, KULMIYE and UCID held huge rallies in several Somaliland
cities. The organizers of the rallies insisted that these were not
demonstrations but gatherings to explain to the people their opposition
to the suspension of the voter-registration list and their rejection of
an election without registered voters.
The government accused the opposition of deliberately timing their
demonstration to coincide with the visit of the Ethiopian Minister State
for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Tekede Alemu. Initially, the government granted
permission for the rallies but later changed its mind and said the
rallies could not be held. Consequently, government troops blocked the
demonstrators from access to Freedom Parks around the nation. Kulmiye’s
campaign manager for the western region, Eng. Bashe Abdi Gabobe
responded to the government blockade by saying, “although the government
did prevent us from entering Freedom Park which is public property, it
could not stop the people from expressing their will.”
Despite the disputed status of the demonstrations, they all went
remarkably well and were peaceful, except in Las Anod, where some of the
people participating in the rallies including the heads of the two
parties in Las Anod, were arrested and taken to jail.
The Hargeysa rally which was the biggest one, was addressed by KULMIYE
Chairman, Mr Ahmed Sillanyo, UCID Chairman Faysal Ali Warabe, KULMIYE
1st Vice Chairman, Muse Bihi and many other dignitaries.
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