Somaliland President Egal Speaks on Mysterious Bomb Blast

This document is a transcript of a BBC 'Focus on Africa' program broadcast on January 25, 1996, featuring an interview with Somaliland leader Mohamed Egal. The discussion centers on reports of mysterious explosions that occurred in the remote eastern region of Somaliland in December 1995. President Egal explains that he dispatched a commission, including two doctors and a veteran doctor, to investigate the site. The commission reported that animals in the area were behaving erratically, described as a 'demented stage,' and were not grazing. Furthermore, the animals exhibited physical symptoms, including skin rashes, shedding of skin, and stomach ailments. Witnesses reported that the explosions occurred without any prior noise, suggesting the object was moving at supersonic speeds, followed by a bright light in the air. When asked by the interviewer, Timothy Ecott, about the possibility of UFOs, President Egal dismissed such 'fantastic claims.' Instead, he speculated that a missile had been fired, either deliberately or accidentally, by an unknown party. He noted that the Somaliland government has appealed to the American, British, and French embassies, as well as international media, for assistance in identifying the cause of the incident, as they lack the resources to conduct a full investigation themselves.