Armed gangs on Sunday night attacked Somali-owned shops in the South African city of Port Elizabeth, killing at least two Somali traders, witnesses said.
Ahmed Mohamoud, a witness who survived the shooting, told All Headline News they had come under attack from four gangs who shot the two men inside their shop.
“They started shooting us after my colleagues refused to pay all the cash they worked during the day,” Mohamoud explained.
The witness said he survived by hiding behind bags of rice inside the shop.
“When I realized the bandits left, I come out from hideout and saw my colleague dead lying on the ground with blood pouring from their heads,” he added.
Port Elizabeth is one of the largest cities in South Africa, situated in Eastern Cape Province, about 770 km (478 mi) east of Cape Town.
Another Somali refugee in Cape Town said that at least four Somali shop owners were wounded after thieves attacked and robbed a large Somali-owned shop.
On June 18, several Somali-owned shops in the South African town of Rothenberg were attacked by local gangs that looted the properties and stole cash.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has estimated more than 7,118 refugees from Somalia live in South Africa.
From 2002 to 2010, more than 700 Somalis were killed by South African gangs while trying to rob or loot their belongings.
In the last few years, South African gangs have launched brutal attacks against the Somali community, burning refugees alive or beating them to death. South African police say that xenophobia is the main motivation in the attacks.
In mid-January, a Somali shopkeeper was burnt to death when a gang of robbers attacked his shop in Samora Machel Township in the Western Cape.
Source: www.allheadlinenews.com
No comments:
Post a Comment