A massive public uprising in Borama, Awdal, started at 8:00 in the morning today. Shortly after, it spread out to different districts and towns in Awdal Region. So far, the protests have taken place in Borama, Dilla, Garbadadar, Lowyada and Boon, which makes it the biggest uprising in Awdal recently.
Also, this is the second time within a few days that there have been large demonstrations in Awdal. Earlier in this week there were protests in Borama and Dilla only.
This series of protests is the result of the cold-blooded killing of commander Khadar Habeeb Aynanshe on May 3 in the coastal border town of Lowyada.
The first wave of protests was triggered by the attempt to bury the victim’s body without any form of justice for him and his family, and also by the Somaliland authorities’ attempt to extract the killer from Awdal and secretly take him to Hargeisa or elsewhere.
The earlier protests ended when the killer and the Aynanshe’s body were brought to Borama and promises were made by the authorities that they will be buried together, as requested by the family of the deceased, the people of Awdal, and the cultural and religious leadership of Gadabursi.
Yesterday, the verdict of the first degree of the military court came out and decided a death sentence after the killer confessed his action. Also, more testimonies and evidence were presented to the court. Today was scheduled for the second degree court, to complete the stages of the trial while the body of the deceased is still there.
However, this morning, the judges of the second degree court who stayed in Borama for the night disappeared, which increased the suspicion of the local population that the murder would go unpunished and the murderer would escape the execution pole.
The protests erupted when this information came out, but as usual, the army used live ammunition against the protesters, 9 injuries are confirmed so far, death is not confirmed, 2 are in critical condition, 2 are officers, and the property damage caused by the forces firing on the protesters has not been assessed.
It is worth noting that during the earlier protest, the British-trained Rapid Response Unit (RRU) troops were sent to Borama to prevent locals from protesting, and last night, additional units were sent from Hargeisa to reinforce the previous RRU forces.
The reasons for the Awdal Uprising are not limited to the issue of assassination, but it became what moved the people. As it is known, Awdal region and Gabilay district’s Gadabursi population, in general, have their recurrent concerns with Somaliland authorities from the beginning.
Leaders of this population recently developed their own political agenda which focuses on power and resource sharing, rights to self-determination and economic freedom and many other issues that made Awdal the most taxed and the less developed region.
Failure to meet these demands by the breakaway Somaliland region will ensure that the Awdal uprising will continue and the feared escalation is looming until the Awdal people’s demands are met.
This article was shared by Seeraha Garashada Network @SeerahaG, a group of Awdalite intellectuals working on amplifying voices of Awdal people.
