Wednesday June 11, 2025
Galkayo (HOL) — Federal lawmakers representing Somalia’s Southwest State have condemned the detention of several businessmen from their region in northern Galkayo, describing the incident as discriminatory and harmful to Somali unity.
Member of Parliament Abdirashid Jilley said the businessmen were detained for three days by a sub-clan in northern Galkayo, which claimed that a man from Southwest regions reportedly killed a man from Galkacyo town in southern Somalia. The accusation, according to the MP, was vague and unjustly targeted an entire community.
“There are more than 200 clans living in the Southwest. When a problem arises, it is the specific clan involved that should be held accountable—not the entire community,” said Jilley. “This kind of collective punishment creates a dangerous precedent. Puntland citizens have lived peacefully in the Southwest for nearly 50 years. All Somalis live together, and we must preserve that spirit of coexistence.”
Jilley urged Puntland authorities to take immediate action to address the incident and called on Puntland Police to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.
Fellow lawmaker Mohamed Barre Mohamud also denounced the arrests, saying that detaining elders and businessmen from the Digil and Mirifle communities is contrary to Islamic teachings and Somali cultural values.
“I strongly condemn this heinous act against people from Southwest Somalia. It contradicts both our religion and our shared culture,” said MP Mohamud.
Puntland officials have not yet issued a statement on the incident. However, photos circulating on social media show more than a dozen men, reportedly Digil and Mirifle businessmen and elders, tied at the hands and feet and held in makeshift house prisons.
The images, widely shared since Tuesday, have sparked public outrage and raised questions about clan-based justice and local law enforcement practices in Galkayo.