- We all know that unspeakable crimes against humanity were committed in Somaliland starting from the year 1984 -1988 those crimes were committed under Barre’s 21-year regime, by which government forces tortured, summarily executed, raped, and even launched aerial bombing raids on civilian populations all across Somaliland.
On this day 3rd of June (1988) one of the worst massacres took place in Somaliland after the mass arrest of a large number of the civilian population who were detained for no reason and were later summarily executed by forces loyal to Siyad Barre forces without even been given the chance to prove their innocence in a court of law hence designating the day to honor the victims of that massacre day.
While the educated and wealthy Somalilanders were being apprehended for no reason, tortured, sentenced to long imprisonments, and, sadly, some of them were being executed, the majority of Somalilanders, who lived in the countryside, were treated a way that our nation had never seen before.
Hon Mohamed Hashi Elmi speaking at the event.
Their wives and daughters were subjected to random rape, torture, looting of their livestock; extortionate tactics were employed, in order to extract as much wealth as possible, before they were forced to face their fate. Surely, no one of us should forget and steal the privilege of the victims of Mohamed Hashi Gani, Aamusane, Jehaad and so many others.
If the raping of our populations, devastation of our property, killing of our people and violations of all the articles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human rates are not a Crime committed against humanity, then what shall we call it? I leave the answer of this question to you, dear audience and readers.
In response to cries for redress, the Somaliland government established a War Crimes Investigation Commission (WCIC) to investigate human rights abuses committed by the Barre regime and to support the prosecution of alleged war criminals.
The Somaliland War crimes committee has to day complied testimonies of more than two hundreds witnesses from both survivors and families of victims, although financial constraints have restricted the full access to places where the crimes took place we on the other hand have first hands evidence to prove more than 50,000 people were killed which amounts to a genocide.
The war crimes committee has partnered with international experts to help as on gathering forensic evidence which helped to build a strong case against well-known war criminal Gen Mohamed Ali Samater.
The current number of known mass graves found in Somaliland is as:-
1. Hargeisa – 200 mass graves discovered to date2. Berbera -12 mass graves discovered to date3. Burco-8 mass graves discovered to date4. sheikh-1 mass grave discovered to date 5. Erigavo-2 mass grave discovered to date 6. Gabiley-2 mass grave discovered to date 7. Arabisiyo-1 mass grave discovered to date
On the hand we are requesting the Red Crescent and Red Cross societies to facilitate the exhumation of more than 47 bodies belonging to the victims of Jazira massacre to be returned to their families so that they can be accorded proper burials.
If only President Hassan Sheik Mahmoud had the faintest idea of the suffering of endured by Somalilanders in the hand of Barres regime then he would be apologizing on behalf of his people rather than utter nonsensical words in the media.
Among those notable persons at the event were the minister of justice and constitutional affairs Hon Hussien Ahmed Aidid , the former minister of finance Hon Mohamed Hashi Elmi and the head of Somaliland human rights commission Madam Farhiya Haji Hussein to name a few.
War Crimes Committee
By: Goth Mohamed Goth/ Somalilandpress
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