HARGEISA (SD) – Reports from Hargeisa the capital of Somaliland confirm that shots were heard in the main jail of Hargeisa today where there riots broke out.

According to reports, the shooting began after a group of inmates complained about their living conditions and the guards tried to quell by opening fire inside the main jail.

A large contingent of police and prison guards have been deployed at the gates of Hargeisa city jail, Roads to and from the prison were closed, and people were not allowed in the area.

The casualties of the shooting inside the Hargeisa prison are not yet known, and other specially trained troops from the Somaliland administration have arrived to calm the situation.

The Somaliland government receives a large amount of international funding to modernize the country’s prison authorities and facilities.