Two people were killed and a number of others injured after police fired live rounds into the air to disperse demonstrators.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Demonstrators threw stones at local police stations, prompting police to intervene to protect government institutions, Ali Bashi, the region's vice-president, told The Anadolu Agency.
He said police fired live rounds into the air to disperse demonstrators, noting that two people had been killed – including a woman – and a number of others injured.
AA could not independently verify Bashi's account. Nor have the Somali authorities issued a comment.
Demonstrators, marching through the streets of Gur El, chanted anti-government slogans and voiced their support for a religious movement that was recently expelled from the district following confrontations with government troops.
Since December of last year, the Somali army had been involved in a number of violent confrontations with the movement, which was ultimately expelled from the district.
The Islamist movement, known as Ahl al-Sunna wal Jamaa, which is affiliated with Somalia's Sufi orders, had taken control of several parts of central Somalia.
The movement – alongside government troops – has also been fighting the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group, although it has also accused the government of marginalizing it.