Friday December 30, 2022
Las Anod (HOL) - At least one protestor was killed, and two others were injured during the second day of protests in Las Anod, the administrative capital of the Sool region, on Friday.
The situation in Las Anod descended into violence after police responded with live ammunition on demonstrators hurling rocks at the central police station.
Many of those killed in Las Anod in the last decade were Somaliland government officials or people campaigning for Somaliland's self-determination.
Most recently, Wadani Party official Abdifatah Abdullahi Abdi Hadrawi was the last official shot dead by gunmen on Monday evening after returning from the mosque.
The protests began earlier this week in response to the local administration’s failure to deal with assassinations.
Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro, a candidate in the Somaliland presidential elections and Wadani Party leader, condemned the Somaliland government's response to Tuesday's protest in Las Anod as a barbaric act.
The Puntland regional government has also accused Somaliland of inflicting violence against Las Anod, calling on human rights organizations to monitor the situation closely.
Puntland Minister of Information, Eng. Mohamud Ayded Dirir described the crackdown on protestors as a massacre, stating that Somaliland forces deliberately killed civilian protesters.
At least four civilians have been killed and over a dozen injured since the demonstrations began.