Three dead in Sanaag gold rush

Hargeisa (Somaliland.com) – Three people were killed and others wounded in a gunfight in the Northern Sanaag region.

Two groups from different clans fought over gold deposits unearthed by floods according to authorities.

Jama Jibril Jama, a local councilor of Erigavo town said the clashes started in the Waqdariya area of Derged mountains where locals mine for gold.

He added its hard to reach the area because of floods that blocked roads. He urged the authorities in Sanaag region to stop the fighting

Goldrush started in Sanaag region a few years back after Gold has been discovered in the remote northern mountains of the region. With a weak government presence, conflicts often do arise. However, it is the first time that violent clashes over gold fortunes erupted in the self-regulating area.

Abdillahi Hassan