His Excellency the Minister of Interior for the Republic of Somaliland, Ali Mohamed Waran’adde, warned citizens against violent demonstrations that may lead to an irreversible breach of the country’s oft-lauded peace and security.
The Minister, today, was responding to a question put to him on his view of violent demonstrations in the mountainous city of Sheikh which disrupted the flow of traffic to and from Burao and east to Hargeisa and other western destinations.
“We have to doublely consider the ramifications of violent demonstrations to the nation’s future as Somaliland is not an internationally recognized country,” he said, adding that the country neither had water canons/hoses, anti-riots police gear, rubber bullets nor tear gas to quell potentially violent demonstrations.
“I advise the public against lamentable demonstrations and that, instead, people should present grievances through legal channels,” he said.
The only passable, paved road connecting east and west of Somaliland passes through Sheikh. 
Today’s demonstrations follow a verdin the First Degree military court of Somaliland passed down on 24 suspects arraigned in court for the murder of Sahil Police Commander, Major Abdirizak Yussuf Mohamoud Mohamed “Assayr”, on 1 March 2016.
Colonel Yussuf Farah Sharmarke, the President of the Court read out the court verdict.
The Court, he said, found 8 of the culprits guilty of first degree homicide.
“The court sentenced,” he said “eight of the suspects to death, of whom 5 were sentenced in absentia, 7 more to
The ex-Deputy governor of Sahil, Hamud Hussein Abdullahi, was given 8 months for negligence as he did not act on advance notice given him of the ambush ahead in which the division commander was killed.
Two more, Keise Dheere and Abdi Dheere, were respectively given 2 years and 1 year, respectively, as they were found of complicity.
Five more, the |judge said, were released due to insufficient evidence presented.
