Addis Abeba — Somaliland officials and community leaders have condemned attacks targeting Oromo residents in Borama, where more than 150 homes belonging to the residents were reportedly damaged or looted, as authorities announced arrests and pledged legal action.
According to Hiiraan Online, the attacks involved groups of youths who vandalized, looted and set fire to homes occupied by Oromo residents, including families who had lived in the city for years. Some affected residents reportedly sought refuge at Borama airport and other locations they considered safe.
Awdal regional governor Boqor Hassan Dahir Haddi condemned the violence, saying it contradicted the community's values of peaceful coexistence and hospitality. He said security forces had arrested some youths suspected of participating in the attacks and were pursuing others, pledging that those responsible would face legal action.
Somaliland Information Minister Barkhad Jama Batun also condemned the attacks and said authorities would investigate those responsible. He warned that individuals had no right to take the law into their own hands, saying such actions undermined Somaliland's democratic reputation and governance.
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Borama Mayor Mohamud Sheikh Ibrahim apologized to affected residents, saying the violence did not represent the city's values. He urged young people not to be influenced by inflammatory social media posts and videos that could fuel hostility between communities.
Community elders and lawmakers also condemned the attacks, calling for the protection of Oromo residents and accountability for those responsible. Abdillahi Hashi Abdi, a member of Somaliland's House of Elders, said there was no justification for burning homes, looting property or intimidating civilians. Lawmaker Mohamed Abib criticized authorities for failing to prevent the violence, stressing that ethnic or political grievances could not justify attacks on innocent people.
The attacks were preceded and accompanied by inflammatory social media posts and videos that reportedly fueled hostility against Oromo residents in Borama.
Mayor Mohamud Sheikh Ibrahim warned young people against being swayed by online content inciting tensions, urging residents not to target civilians over violence in neighboring Ethiopia. Community leaders also cautioned against the spread of incitement and retaliatory sentiment, stressing that people living in Borama should not be held responsible for the conflict in Moyale.
The conflict in Moyale, a town along the boundary between Ethiopia's Oromia and Somali regions, where longstanding territorial and administrative disputes between Borana and Garre communities, intensified following a flag dispute and the killing of a 13-year-old girl Diqqoo Jaataan Aagaa on October 18. Subsequent clashes involving regional forces spread to several districts in southern Oromia, causing deaths, displacement and the destruction of homes. It has also prompted thousands of residents to flee into Kenya, while tensions have raised concerns about attacks against Oromo civilians in neighboring areas.
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