Civil society groups and Elders Voice their concern about SNA and AMISOM’s Shooting on Peaceful Protesters in Beletwein

The Hiiraan clan elders, intellectuals, Hiiraan diaspora community, civil society groups and Non-state actors have expressed concerns with the Somali security forces and AMISOM’s shooting on peaceful protestors and the detention of protestors in Beletwein, the capital city of Hiiraan. ..

In a statement they issued which Diinah.con received, they warned of the consequences of using government and AMISOM forces against innocent civilians. The statement said it was not part of AMISOM’s mandate to attack protesters. They called upon the UN, AU, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty to investigate alleged violations against innocent, peaceful protestors by AMISOM troop-contributing countries (TCC) of Ethiopia and Djibouti.  

The statement criticised the involvement of AMISOM (Ethiopian & Djibouti contingency stationed in Hiiraan) for the last two days in the suppression of protestors and the detention of hundreds of protestors. it said: “their action is a clear violation of the Status of Mission Agreement (SOMA) between the federal government and AMISOM”.   

The statement said that particularly, the actions of AMISOM forces contravene Article VI (8) of SOMA, which calls for; “AMISOM and its members shall refrain from any action or activity incompatible with the impartial and international nature of their duties or inconsistent with the spirit of the present arrangement. AMISOM and its members shall respect all local laws and regulations”.

They accused AMISOM of clearly violating all local laws by breaching the rights enshrined in the Somali provisional constitution – the right to protest. They called for an end to acts of intimidation and harassment against protesters in the Hiiraan Region, and said, the actions of the security forces go against the tenets of freedom of expression and liberty that is the core foundation of democracy, stability and good governance.