By M.A. Egge
Somaliland has just commemorated the four-decades-old Youth Uprising Day known as “Dhagax-tuur” (loosely translated to mean “the stone-throwing” in the local dialect) or UFO, as it is popularly known.
It was celebrated at the Independence Gardens.
Led by the Vice President H.E. Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismael Seyli’i in celebrating the 20th February Youth Uprising Day (UFO), the essence on the patriotism and patriotic nature depicted on the said day in 1982 was underscored and its importance underpinned during the occasion.
“Today is the day of the youth, it’s the day of UFO anniversary, it is a national day,” said VP, and added, “I urge the youth to bolster their unity and solid cohesiveness while upholding their nationhood”.
At a time when the notorious Siad Barre regime was monstrously powerful, public service in some areas of Somaliland was handicapped and short-circuited in order to “tame” the residents.
This prompted a group of youthful educated physicians to mobilize themselves in order to rehabilitate Hargeisa hospital, a swift heavy hand of the crackdown was mete upon the poor patriots and clamped them, and hence they were incarcerated on flimsy charges being treacherous to the state.
Local schools had their teachers and students mobilize themselves henceforth, and the famous UFO 20th Day of February 1982 uprising was the resultant.
Similar heavy-handedness greeted the insurgency and the stone-throwing was answered with live bullets that claimed their share of fatal causalities and associated seriously injured victims.
Whatever the case the patriotism depicted by the youth in support of the UFO doctors was the main catalyst to the Somali National Movements (SNM) to being the formidable entity it evolved into.
Both deputy Regional Governor and deputy Mayor among scores of other dignities who addressed the gathering flanked the VP on the occasion.
Hundreds of students from numerous institutions and other members of the society graced the occasion.
