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Mogadishu: At least eight people were killed on Tuesday in fighting outside parliament in a semi-autonomous region of Somalia. Puntland between local security forces and armed elements loyal to opposition politicians, according to police and witnesses.
Clashes in the state capital, Garoweduring a parliamentary session to discuss changes to the local constitution, which the opposition claims is an attempt by the Puntland president to extend his term in office.
“It is confirmed that eight people were killed in the fighting and more than 10 others, including civilians, were wounded,” said Abdul Wali Hassan, a police officer in Garowe.
He said the violence broke out when gunmen loyal to opposition politicians confronted security forces protecting parliament and tried to disrupt the session.
“They were defeated and the situation in the city is now calm,” he said, adding, “No one will be allowed to act above the law.”
One witness, Muhammad al-Nur onHe said he saw about six dead bodies and several injured people, adding that “the fighting was very fierce and both sides used heavy machine guns.
“The situation is normal now, but there is still sporadic shooting,” Ali said.
Another witness, Nemo Adan, said she was caught in the crossfire and saw several people killed.
In May, Puntland held local elections, the first direct elections in Somalia in more than half a century, outside the breakaway region of Somaliland.
At the time, opposition politicians accused Puntland state president Said Abdullahi Dini of manipulating election procedures and seeking to amend the constitution to enable him to extend his term, which is due to end in January next year.
Later in May, the Somali central government and four federal member states – excluding Puntland – announced a one-person-vote deal with local elections scheduled for June next year.
It followed President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s pledge in March to end the complex clan-based indirect voting system in the Horn of Africa country, which has been mired in chaos for decades.
Somalia has not held nationwide direct elections since 1969, when dictator Siad Barre seized power.
But the new plan also calls for parliamentary and presidential votes in federal states on November 30 next year, bypassing the current expiration dates for some states including Denny’s.
Puntland, an arid, oil-rich region in northeastern Somalia, declared self-rule in 1998 and relations with the central government in Mogadishu have often been tense.
Clashes in the state capital, Garoweduring a parliamentary session to discuss changes to the local constitution, which the opposition claims is an attempt by the Puntland president to extend his term in office.
“It is confirmed that eight people were killed in the fighting and more than 10 others, including civilians, were wounded,” said Abdul Wali Hassan, a police officer in Garowe.
He said the violence broke out when gunmen loyal to opposition politicians confronted security forces protecting parliament and tried to disrupt the session.
“They were defeated and the situation in the city is now calm,” he said, adding, “No one will be allowed to act above the law.”
One witness, Muhammad al-Nur onHe said he saw about six dead bodies and several injured people, adding that “the fighting was very fierce and both sides used heavy machine guns.
“The situation is normal now, but there is still sporadic shooting,” Ali said.
Another witness, Nemo Adan, said she was caught in the crossfire and saw several people killed.
In May, Puntland held local elections, the first direct elections in Somalia in more than half a century, outside the breakaway region of Somaliland.
At the time, opposition politicians accused Puntland state president Said Abdullahi Dini of manipulating election procedures and seeking to amend the constitution to enable him to extend his term, which is due to end in January next year.
Later in May, the Somali central government and four federal member states – excluding Puntland – announced a one-person-vote deal with local elections scheduled for June next year.
It followed President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s pledge in March to end the complex clan-based indirect voting system in the Horn of Africa country, which has been mired in chaos for decades.
Somalia has not held nationwide direct elections since 1969, when dictator Siad Barre seized power.
But the new plan also calls for parliamentary and presidential votes in federal states on November 30 next year, bypassing the current expiration dates for some states including Denny’s.
Puntland, an arid, oil-rich region in northeastern Somalia, declared self-rule in 1998 and relations with the central government in Mogadishu have often been tense.
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