Somaliland Minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Saeed Sulub Mohamed was sent scampering for safety after he attended the funeral of three of the protestors killed last week during pro-democracy protests called by the opposition.
Shirtless youth wearing red bandannas and chanting pro-opposition songs turned on the minister with stones claiming he was uninvited to the burial ceremony.
The three deceased were among the five killed by government forces who opened fire at the protestors last week which also left over 100 injured.
Minister Sulub, one of the most powerful ministers in the current ministerial of President Bihi’s government has attended the ceremony to mourn with the affected families but he realized he was an uninvited guest
Women, who, traditionally, did not attend funerals and were barred from near where loved ones were to be laid to rest, could be heard shouting in tearful, high shrill voices ‘Kill him!’ Kill Saeed Sulub!’
Others echoed the cries calling for the killing of the minister repeatedly calling ‘Son of a dog (bitch)!’ ‘The Son of a dog!’
Police bodyguards accompanying the minister started firing in the air to disperse angry mourners who were baying for the minister’s blood.
The minister later called a press conference and accused opposition leaders for the incident.
“As soon as the leaders of Waddani arrived at the funeral they signaled organized gangs and hooligans ready at the site to start attacking me,” he said.
“It was an organized attempt at my life,” he added.
The angry youth have accused the government of assassinating the protestors who were expressing their democratic right to picket.
Opposition parties called the fallen martyrs.
Officially, the government admits that five people lost their lives to police fire during last Saturday’s opposition rallies in the towns of Hargeisa, Burao, and Erigavo. At least two of the fallen were not active participants.
Other accounts put deaths at 7.
