HARGEISA, Somaliland — Authorities in Somaliland have cancelled a planned traditional gathering after two days of violent riots in the town of Borama left several civilians dead, officials said Monday.
The unrest erupted over the planned convening of the Xeer Ciise, a UNESCO-recognized oral customary law of the Somali-Issa communities in Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia. The event had been scheduled for Dec. 14 in the coastal town of Zeyla.
Local media reported that the fatalities occurred when security forces clashed with Borama residents who opposed the government’s announcement of hosting the gathering.
Some regional politicians said the disagreement centered on a land and boundary dispute between clans rather than objections to the traditional event itself.
Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro, ordered the event cancelled and urged residents to maintain calm.
In televised remarks, Irro said he had directed armed forces in Borama to return to their barracks and pledged a full investigation.
“A comprehensive and independent investigation into the recent events is already underway, and its findings will be met with the full rigor of the law — in a spirit of transparency, justice and accountability,” he said.
Traditional elders from the Awdal region also called for calm and supported cancelling the event to ease tensions.
Somali Government Responds
The federal government of Somalia issued a statement expressing sorrow over the deaths and urged Somaliland authorities to respect the wishes of the affected communities.
Somaliland, in a separate statement, accused Somalia’s federal government of “continued interference and destabilizing actions” aimed at inflaming tensions and spreading misinformation within Somaliland.
