Hundreds Protest Water Price Rise In Somaliland
| Front Page |
HARGEISA, May 2, 2006 – About 200 people protested a rise in the price of water in northern Somaliland, witnesses and local officials said, breaking government equipment in a rare show of unrest in the breakaway Somali enclave.
The crowd destroyed computers and archive files in the local government's main offices in the town of Erigabo on Monday, after it had doubled the price of water to 2,000 Somaliland shillings ($0.33) per liter citing high fuel prices.
"The demonstrators blocked the roads with stones and tires," deputy mayor of Erigabo Mohamed Awad Du'ale told reporters by telephone, adding the protestors had also broken office doors.
The army was called in to restore calm. Several people were said to be injured, one seriously, during Monday's unrest.
Officials on Tuesday temporarily suspended the price increase, saying the issue needed to be reviewed.
Somaliland, an enclave on the Gulf of Aden, declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has since enjoyed relative peace. But its independence is not recognized by the international community.
Source: Reuters
Home | Contact us | Links | Archives