Open Letter to Somaliland President: Oodwayne Incident
Somaliland Watch Group (SWG), a diaspora based group has written a letter to Somaliland government expressing concerns over the successive incidents which happened in different regions of the country where by people were killed by the government terror police called RRU (Rapid Reaction Unit). The letter is addressed to Somaliland president Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud “Silaanyo”.
To the president of Somaliland
from: Somaliland Watch Group
P/N: 1399/014
date: January 4, 2014
RE: OODWAYNE INCIDENT
Somaliland Watch is worried of the successive incidents which happened in different regions of the country where by people were killed by the government terror police called RRU. It was Burco the other day, it is Oodwayne to day!
What has happened in OODWAYNE seemed a government instigated incident! The government mishandled a bad situation which in the end resulted injuries and imprisonment of innocent citizens. All these undesirable incidents could escalate in to real conflict.
Conflict exists in any situation where desires or fears pull parties apart in divergent directions. It is incumbent upon any responsible authority to find a solution to a conflict with their people. Ideally collaborative problem-solving, a cooperative talking-together process that leads to choosing a plan of action that both the parties can feel good about is the right thing to do. Participants of a given conflict resolution in a collaborative way explore underlying concerns of the community and then find a mutually agreeable solution. Mr. Hersi’s delegation to OODWAYNE did the opposite and the end was blood shed and imprisonment of elected officials and others with out any regard of their constitution rights to voice their concern.
When people sense disparity, negative emotions alert one to the reality that a situation of conflict is occurring. Seeing things differently can also provoke conflict.
Siilanyo’s Ministers sent to OODWAYNE did not recognize the situation that conflict was there. There are ways to disagree yet prevent conflicts from emerging in these situations but they either did not understood that or they did not want that, instead they resorted to demagogue and threaten the elected municipal officials who wanted to voice their concern of the money the ministers wanted from OODWAYNE The result was that the delegation ordered the so, called RRU police to shoot the discontented people who were demonstrating before the Municipal Hall there. Many people were unnecessarily injured. Elected official were put in jail by the order of the delegation disregarding their constitutional rights.
Talking together amicably and with respect, can bring a disagreement out in the open in a friendly manner so that both parties understand each other’s concerns and then can conclude by finding a mutually agreeable solution. This process is the best of what people generally aim for when they talk about resolving disputes
Siilanyo’s government operatives headed by Minister Hersi did not try to understand and appreciate the concerns of the people and did not answer the questions the OODWAYNE community presented to them.
Adding insult to injury, the arrest of the former ex-deputy governor of Buco adds another worry to an already tense situation; it may escalate the problem. Many people interpret the situation as “xaalad Abuur” a conflict creating attempt by the government of Mr. Siilanyo
Somaliland Watch is calling the government to safeguard and protect the peace as well as the rights of OODWAYNE community and ALL the communities of Somaliland.
However peace and prayers
Ibrahim M Mead
Executive Director
Somaliland Watch Group
Ottawa, canada