Somaliland Minister of Interior Ahmed Kahin has confirmed receipt of a letter from the country’s main opposition parties on their plans to hold peaceful demonstrations to push the government to set a clear roadmap for the forthcoming presidential elections.
The minister in a press statement on Saturday at the same time re-affirmed that the Somaliland constitution guarantees democratic demonstrations according to the laws.
But in what is seen as a move to forestall the planned demos, the minister has called for a meeting with representatives of the two parties Wadani and UCID to discuss about their intentions for the street protests.
https://fb.watch/dj0YnATzav/
“Demonstrations are permitted by our constitutions but this letter from the parties does not indicate date, location and manner of the demonstration they asked for”, said the minister in a press release after he received the letter.
The two parties wrote a joint letter to the Ministry of Interior requesting for a public demonstration to protest against the government’s alleged plan of delaying presidential elections which is scheduled at the 13th November this year.
According to opposition parties’ officials who submitted the letter, the demonstration had been necessitated by the collapse of the talks between the Somaliland President and opposition leaders last week.
“There are preparations by the parties throughout the country and the government has mobilized forces to prevent any demonstration that is not endorsed by the Ministry of Interior”, says a civil society activist.
But the opposition parties have another narrative. “It has been the custom in Somaliland that opposition parties never received permission for their demonstrations.
Kulmiye party carried tens of demonstrations during its opposition era and our demonstration is not different”, argued Waddani party officer.
Given the highly polarized political tension and embroiled clan dynamics associated with this election, violence can erupt at any time and the intended protest may lead to Somaliland clashes by the security forces and some of the demonstrators.
Somaliland police has not handled previous demonstrations well and there have been casualties in the past. For example, 2 persons died and several were injured back in 2009 when Kulmiye organized demonstration against presidential term extension like this one, attempted by president Dahir Rayale of UDUB party.
Those clashes led to 6-point agreed roadmap that led to presidential election of 2010 which Kulmiye party won.
Opposition parties are inspired by these past experiences but things can go worse this time due to grievances between rival sub-clans of Isaaq.