Police deny using live ammunitions, vow to investigate gunfire during Hargeisa illegal rally.
THT-Police have announced that they will hand over to the prosecution and the court armed men who search people at night, at the home of candidate Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro.
A press statement issued by the Police Command tonight reads as follows;
According to Article 124 of the Constitution of the Republic of Somaliland and the Police Act 63/2013, the Police Force is responsible for maintaining internal security and protecting the lives and property of every citizen, including the leaders of the national parties.
The police, in the course of their legal duties, provided the National Party leaders with adequate troops to protect themselves, their homes, and their offices, as well as reinforced members of the military.
Police have been aware for two weeks that Presidential candidate Abdirahman Mohamed Abdilahi (Cirro) has moved from his former home in the Pepsi neighborhood in western Hargeisa to a new home in the Hodan Hilis neighborhood in eastern Hargeisa.
Police are aware that in the last week, the candidate’s residence has been brought armed civilians to guard, who are doing the same work as police at night. They stop civilians, search cars, and sometimes shoot at all dressed in military uniforms.
The people of the peace-loving Republic of Somaliland are hereby informed that this is a new phenomenon, and if it continues, it will be a crime of treason, in accordance with Article 221 of the General Penal Code.
We, therefore, warn the WADDANI Party candidate and anyone involved in this matter to stay away from those who are illegally armed while holding the illegal Guard.
We will refer the matter to the prosecution and the competent court.
Earlier, Somaliland police have denied using live ammunition during an illegal protest in Hargeisa organized by the opposition parties on 9th June.
According to a police statement, the bodyguards of the WADDANI party leadership fired live ammunition at the Police. “The police did not use live ammunition, while the guards of the WADDANI party Chairman & Presidential contender fired live ammunition at the Police, though not responded by the Force”, the police statement said.
The report noted that protesters clashed with the security, who managed to calm down and contain the fracas and used rubber bullets. The security were also been subjected to a lot of violence, including being pelted with stones, but managed to disperse the crowd by using tear gas and rubber bullets.
The statement said that those claiming to have sustained injuries would be investigated and that qualified doctors would be used to diagnose them.
Those who are knowledgeable about these issues will conduct an immediate investigation into the allegations made by the opposition in order to establish the truth and bring them to justice.
The Police described the depiction of the wounded in social media as “unfortunate” since lawmaker Barkhad Jama Batun was purported to be one, saying it was an insult to the police force.