Somaliland: Tipper Lorries Drivers Protest Clashes in Buroa Leave One Person Dead

Buroa May 13, 2013 (SDN) –At least one person has been killed in clashes between security forces and angry demonstrators in Somaliland’s second largets city Buroa Togdheer region, officials say. Violence erupted when most-feared anti- demonstrations police squad known as RRU (Rapid Reaction Unit) attempted to quell angry demonstrators outside Buroa local municipality. The death follows Confrontations between police and owners/drivers of tipper Lorries who had and are still amassed outside the local government offices in the Togdeer regional Capital. As the mayor of Buroa confirmed during an interview he gave to VOA Somali service, one demonstrator is dead while several others are injured presumably from gunshot wounds occasioned by police fire.  A large number of The Tipper Lorries owners/drivers are also reported to be in police custody following the fracas that started earlier this morning and still on-going outside the Burao mayor’s office. The police were unleashed on the demonstrators by the Mayor after they refused to remove their Lorries from the council offices where they had amassed in protest against some yet to be specified orders from council which they claim is detrimental to their operations. The multitude of tippers used for public goods transport especially in the construction sector had by virtue of accrual outside the councils offices blocked movement within thus causing the mayor to call in police who in turn used live bullets to disperse the demonstrators. Meanwhile the confrontations are still on-going and no official statement has been released by either the Togdeer regional government, Burao local council or the central government in Hargeisa.

By: Eng. Abdirisak Ismail Qalinle (Itaqile)

SDN News Desk