The warning came just a day after thousands of youth took to the street calling the end of the current Puntland government led by President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole.
Puntland Forces fire on anti-Farole crowd in Bosaso

Soldiers belonging to the Puntland Security Forces (PSF), formally known as PIS (Puntland Intelligence service) fired into the crowd in the town center. No one was wounded in the incident.

The Security Minister Col.Khalif Isse Mudan who is currently in Bosaso, held a press conference at his office near the port of Bosaso, which is the main income source for the Puntland authority.

They will be Killed!

“…We know who organized these demonstrations, the people who are not part of the government and that have any armed bodyguards will be arrested, if they resist they will be killed…starting from today I am ordering the Puntland forces to arrest these people and their bodyguards, if they resist, they will be killed….” says the Minister who warned the opposition leaders who use armed guards when traveling in the town.

Puntland Salvation Council (PSC) the main opposition group in Bosaso called the international community to intervene. The council condemned the threats to the local people and the attack of the Puntland soldiers on the unarmed demonstrators.

“…it is sad to see the soldiers who were supposed to protect the people are now being used to kill and oppress their own people….”says Mustafa Said the spokesman of the council.

The demonstrators in Bosaso began just days after a prominent clan leader Sultan Muse Farah Muse was gunned down in Bosaso city center, the assailants who were wearing military uniform managed to escape. The victim was killed just 500 meters from the city council and the main police station.

There have been similar anti government demonstrations in the major towns of Puntland State, including Galkacyo and Qardho. The current Puntland government led by President Abdirahman Farole sought a one year extension of their four year mandate, to allow for the democratization process. This generated the recent political and security unrest in the autonomous region, northeast of Somalia.