Mogadishu Domestic Service radio (in Somali) — 1400 GMT

[Presenter] Somali Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Jalle (Comrade) Omar Arte Ghalib, issued a statement today on the ugly crime committed by the French forces at Loyada, on the Somali border with the French Somali Coast, at 1530 on 4 February 1976.

Jalle Arte, who said the statement was for the information of the Somali people and the world public said that at 1530 yesterday the colonialist forces ruling the Somali Coast, which had been stationed at Loyada for several days, launched a surprise attack on the Loyada post, as well as on the bus containing the French children held hostage by the freedom fighters of the Front for the Liberation of the Somali Coast. He said:

We wish to state to the world that the attack on the post and on the bus was unexpected. It was unfortunate and inhumane to launch an attack at a time when conciliatory talks were in progress between FLCS members and representatives of the French colonialist troops. It was inhumane because the very people who were engaged in the conciliatory talks were killed. We wish to inform the nation that during the attack on the post the colonialist forces, using tanks, armored cars and heavy artillery, completely destroyed the buildings without showing any care for their occupants, and even uprooted the trees.

We wish to point out to the world, as well as the Somali nation, that Loyada was a police customs post, manned by 10 customs officers, as is usual on all borders. We, therefore, wish to inform the world that there have never been Somali combat troops at the post. During the attack on the post, the colonial troops opened fire without discrimination on women and children. As a result, six customs police were killed and damage was heavy. It is only to be expected in such an indiscriminate attack with tanks, armored cars and artillery that there would be extensive damage to property. So far, no assessment of the damages has been made.

We wish to state that early this morning the French colonial forces resumed their attack on the post which was destroyed yesterday. We wish to stress once again that apart from customs officers, there were no combat forces to repulse the attack. We would also like to point out to the world that the freedom fighters who were killed were engaged in conciliatory talks and were told to come out of the bus to reach final agreement, and if they had had any intention of killing their hostages they would have been able to do so. They also agreed to allow food to be supplied to their hostages.

We wish to reiterate once again that the French colonial troops were entirely responsible for the killing of the FLCS members and their hostages and all the damage inflicted on the post. We will inform the nation through Mogadishu radio of any step we have taken or take in the future and will keep the nation informed accordingly.