Police in Somaliland’s western city of Borama fired shots on Sunday to disperse young protesters who burned tyres and demonstrated against May 18 independence celebrations, residents and officials said.
No casualties were immediately reported.
The unrest erupted in Borama, the capital of Awdal region, where tensions have been rising ahead of Somaliland’s annual commemoration of its 1991 declaration of independence from Somalia. Somaliland has operated with its own government, currency and security forces for more than three decades, although it lacks widespread international recognition.
Witnesses said groups of youths blocked roads in parts of the city and set tyres ablaze before security forces intervened and fired into the air to disperse the crowds.
Somaliland Foreign Minister Abdirahman Aden Bakaal said the disturbance began as an argument among youths linked to football before escalating into a broader security incident.
“It is possible that the youths who were arguing over football today were joined by someone else,” Bakaal said, adding that authorities were monitoring the situation closely.
He also praised young people in Awdal for what he described as efforts to preserve stability and prevent further unrest.
Borama has become increasingly sensitive in recent months amid disputes surrounding the May 18 celebrations and wider political tensions in the Awdal region.
Some residents were angered by remarks attributed to poet Daaha Gaas concerning the ownership of the coastal town of Saylac, prompting opposition from youths to a planned performance by the Dayaha Band, which he leads.
The latest unrest follows deadly protests in Borama late last year in which at least 19 people were killed during clashes linked to competing claims over Saylac.
The incident also came a day after violence in Erigavo, where regional officials said at least one Somaliland soldier was killed and several others wounded after a dispute between two soldiers escalated into armed clashes on Saturday.
Authorities said the situation in Erigavo was later brought under control as security forces prepared for May 18 celebrations across Somaliland.
