At least one person has been killed and two others wounded during a protest in Beledweyne town after the security forces opened fire on demonstrators opposing the arrest of a military officer today morning.
The protesters demanded the immediate release of military captain Shegow Ahmed Ali, who security forces had arrested following an hours-long security operation in Mogadishu on Saturday.
According to an eyewitness, the shooting took place in the Howlwadag neighbourhood. Monday’s incident was the second shoot by security forces during protests in Mogadishu, Jowhar and Beledweyne since Sunday.
Security forces had fired live ammunition at supporters of former Somali military captain Shegow Ahmed Ali in Mogadishu on Sunday, fortunately without casualties.
A federal lawmaker, Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, condemned the government’s use of violent response against demonstrators protesting the arrest of a military officer and emphasized that Shegow was an army officer, necessitating a court order for his arrest.
“I condemn the use of live ammunition in today’s demonstration in Mogadishu. While I do not endorse the violence and stone-throwing by protesters, the use of live ammunition is even more perilous. The actions of the soldiers who carried out the officer’s arrest were indefensible, and we were silent due to the government’s current operations against al-Shabab,” Warsame stated.
The military captain Sheegow Ahmed Ali and 25 of his armed men were apprehended by Somali police forces, following accusations of disrupting the capital’s security and engaging in confrontations with security personnel. A spokesperson for the police alleged that stolen mobile phones and counterfeit banknotes were discovered at his residence.
