{"id":838503,"date":"2026-10-31T10:20:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T14:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/?p=838503"},"modified":"2026-10-31T09:54:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T13:54:13","slug":"somaliland-officials-in-borama-condemn-attacks-on-oromo-residents-and-announce-arrests-after-homes-are-burned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/838503","title":{"rendered":"Somaliland officials in Borama condemn attacks on Oromo residents and announce arrests after homes are burned"},"content":{"rendered":"

Somaliland’s government and officials in Awdal region condemned attacks on Oromo residents of Borama and said suspects had been arrested, after crowds burned and looted homes belonging to Ethiopians this week.<\/p>\n

The Awdal regional security committee held a press conference in Borama after the attacks. The regional governor, Hassan Daahir Hadi, said the committee condemned “the ugly act” committed against people from a neighboring country who were living in the city, BBC Somali reported. He said those behind it had aimed to damage the reputation of Somaliland’s peace and democracy and of Awdal, and that the authorities would bring them before the law, including those already arrested and others still being sought.<\/p>\n

Somaliland’s Minister of Information, Barkhad Jama Batuun, said on Saturday that the government would not tolerate the attacks. “The acts targeting foreigners in Borama are against Somaliland, and we will not tolerate them. We will take tough action against whoever did this. Foreigners have rights in our land and cannot be expelled,” he said, according to Horseed Media. Dawan Africa quoted him as saying that no individual has the legal authority to forcibly remove a foreign national, assault them or damage their property.<\/p>\n

Awdal’s regional police commander, Abdi Khayre Dugsiiye Araweello, said forces had arrested people linked to the incidents and were still searching for others, Defence.so reported. He said the trouble had gone on from the previous afternoon until the time of the press conference, but that the residents’ lives had been saved. “Apart from the houses and shelters they lived in, their lives were protected and no harm reached them,” he said, according to the outlet. More than 150 homes owned by Ethiopians, mostly Oromos, were destroyed or burned over two days, Defence.so said, adding that no deaths had been reported.<\/p>\n

Borama’s mayor, Mahmoud Sheikh Ibrahim, apologized to those affected and told BBC Somali that what happened was not part of the culture of the people of Borama and was “new to us.” An Ethiopian resident told the BBC that women had been raped during the violence. The mayor denied it. “There is no rape. We followed up on that report, and there is not a single case of rape in the city. There are no injuries and no deaths,” he said. An elder from the Ethiopian community told the BBC that about 5,000 Ethiopians had gathered at Borama’s airport, waiting for officials to decide what happens next.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, the X account Gaboose (@Guntigaab) shared what it said were statements by Oromo community elders in Borama rejecting reports of killings, torture and rape and saying the incident involved burning and property damage. The account Awdal History (@AwdalHisto2p) wrote that Somaliland’s interior minister had visited Oromo residents sheltering at the airport and put their number at under 1,000. Mohamed Yusuf Bakayle (@MoBakayle) wrote that about five people suspected of organizing the attacks had been arrested. Mereja Media could not verify these accounts.<\/p>\n

An Oromo resident told Defence.so that “young men and women organized themselves and targeted Ethiopians, especially the Oromo, even though we did nothing wrong.” The accounts on X described houses set on fire and belongings looted, and videos shared from Thursday appeared to show smoke rising over parts of the city.<\/p>\n

The violence was linked to the fighting in and around Moyale, on the Ethiopia and Kenya border, where clashes between Oromia and Somali regional forces since mid October have driven tens of thousands of people into Kenya. Humanitarian worker Badawi (@AwRobleh) wrote on X that the Awdal security committee and the Borama administration had also apologized on Friday. “Such actions are not part of the culture of the people of Borama, and this is something entirely new to us,” he quoted them as saying. He questioned their statement that the damage was limited to homes the Oromos had already left, and asked who organized the attacks.<\/p>\n

Abdillahi Hashi Abib, whose X profile describes him as a member of Somalia’s federal House of the People and who says he has defended Awdal since 1991, wrote that he would “not apologize for defending innocent Oromo families” whose homes were burned and looted. He thanked religious leaders who spoke during Friday prayers in support of their Oromo neighbours. Earlier, the Somaliland commentator @Sufiilwaad called the targeting of Oromo refugees and Ethiopian migrant workers “disgraceful, dangerous, and completely unacceptable,” and blamed propaganda about Moyale for stirring hostility. Several Somaliland accounts, including @Yassin_2025, said they were “deeply saddened” and blamed outside agents for what they called an isolated incident, claims that Mereja Media could not verify.<\/p>\n

Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, hosts thousands of Ethiopian migrants and refugees, many of them Oromos, who work as laborers and traders in Hargeisa, Borama and other towns. Borama is the main city of Awdal, which borders Ethiopia’s Somali region and Djibouti.<\/p>\n

Mereja Media asked Somaliland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday how many homes were burned, whether anyone was hurt, how many people were arrested and what the government is doing to protect Ethiopian residents. No reply had been received by the time of publication.<\/p>\n

The Awdal governor urged residents to work with the security forces to stop further attacks, and thanked the people of Borama who, he said, had stood against the violence, according to BBC Somali.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/h4>\n