Hiiraan Online
Saturday, December 5, 2015
GALKAYO (HOL) - One Unidentified gunmen have shot and wounded a regional lawmaker and killed an elder in the flash point central Somali town of Galkayo Friday, one day after Puntland its neighboring Galmudug state who have battled for control the town signed a peace agreement to end to violence that killed more than 20 people since last week.
Mohamed Hussein Tahlil, a lawmaker with Galmudug state was shot by armed men near the town's airport as he was returning home after attending peace talks between the two regions' presidents. The attackers have also killed Dahir Akhwan, a well-known local elders during the attack.
Galmudug state accused Puntland of being the attack which it warned could undermine peace efforts aimed ending the conflict which displaced hundreds of residents from their homes.
No comment could be reached from Puntland authorities on the incident.
The clashes that involved trucks mounted with machine guns and anti-aircraft rockets erupted after an argument involving the construction of a new road by Puntland in the town, which was halted by Galmudug forces.
The development is a major breakthrough which officials said could help ending the clashes that risked leading to clannish warfare in a country which is recovering from decades of civil war.
Galkayo town is divided into two zones, where the northern portion forms part of Puntland state, while its southern part is governed by the Galmudug administration.