Puntland Rachets Up Its War Rhetoric Against Somaliland
In the semi-lawless Puntland region of Somalia, high-seas piracy remains unabated; locally printed counterfeit money destabilizes the economy; and unpaid soldiers either set up roadblocks to extort money from travelers, or defect to Somaliland.
But its [Puntland’s] overwhelmed and besieged leaders remain oblivious of the reality on the ground. Continually burying their heads in the sand, they entertain the public with the idea of retaking Las Anod, the provincial capital of Sool region in Somaliland, by force.
Recently, Puntland Interior Minster, Mr. Abdullahi Said Samatar revealed that Puntland will attack and recapture Las Anod. And the current Puntland President, Gen. Adde adds, “The Somaliland presence in Las Anod is like a bruised and darkened spot on our bodies” (Good luck spotting a dark spot on Gen. Adde’s body.) Yet combating piracy, insecurity, and kidnapping seem to gain little attention in Puntland.
On the other hand, Las Anod which Puntland leaders vow to recapture by a violent storm if Somaliland doesn’t abandon the city has experienced an unusual peace and tranquility since it fell into the hands of pro-Somaliland Las Anoders in October 2007. For the first time in seventeen years, carrying weapons in public are banned in the city. As a result, the murder rate dropped to zero. In fact, Las Anod authorities boast that their city is as safe as the rest of Somaliland cities, and much safer than any major Puntland cities, such as Bosaso and Garowe.
Additionally, the populace in Las Anod may not necessarily support Somaliland’s quest for independence, but they silently appreciate its effective authority in the city. Over 500 well trained and highly disciplined police force patrols the streets of the city. Tribal skirmishes in the region almost disappeared due to tightened security. Indeed some tribes namely, Jama Siyad have found no use for their heavy weapons and transferred them to Somaliland authority. http://afnugaal.com/warka.php?num=5290
On the economic aspect, the public also admires Somaliland’s efforts, despite its economic shortcomings, to improve the livelihood of the population. In Las Anod, many desperately needed projects including water purifications facilities have been built. The government distributed food to the locals. The trade between Sool region and the rest of Somaliland provinces increased because of unrestricted movements and improved security. Sool Diasporas invest their money in Las Anod and this has created an employment opportunities for the locals. Furthermore, the entire region is controlled and ruled by the locals. And some of these locals are employed by Somaliland government. Hospitals, schools, police stations and municipality buildings have been refurbished. NGOs freely operated in the region. These are irrefutable facts that even a die-hard supporter of Puntland wishes not to admit but would not deny them. So then why is Puntland seemingly against the pacification as well as the development of Sool region?
The problem stems from Puntland’s obsession with its deep-rooted tribal doctrine, which is the root-cause of Somalia’s turmoil. So while Puntland attempts to annex Sool region based on tribal “identities”—that is, its population shares tribal lineages with that of Sool—Somaliland tries to win the hearts and mind of Sool population based on national identity, historical and geographical reasons. Admittedly, this strategy has gained some momentum, and as such more people than ever before are now leaning on Hargaisa’s—Somaliland capital—side.
Evidently, there is little doubt that the populations in Sool are split into two groups; those who support Puntland and those who favor Somaliland. But interestingly enough, while some chauvinistic supporters of Puntland groups argue that they have the right to join Puntland because of tribal blood relations, they deny the rights of the growing number of Las Anoders who wishes to remain within Somaliland because of blood relations, historical and geographical reasons.
Also, Puntland and its zealots accuse Somaliland of occupying Sool region. But the facts remain indisputable: Sool is occupied and governed by none other than its residents. And evidently as the region becomes stable and self-governing, just like the rest of Somaliland provinces, chaos lurks around the corner. That is, Puntland’s threats to retake Las Anod by a bloody war appear on the horizon.
Ironically, although Puntland leaders relentlessly beat tribal war drums against peaceful Somaliland, they have no objection to Ethiopia’s brutal occupation of Somalia.
Also, for these leaders while attacking Somaliland seems to be their main agenda, freeing German hostages held in Puntland territory, combating insecurity and human-trafficking receive scant attention.
It also worthy noting that Puntland claims that Sool and Eastern Sanag of Somaliland are disputed regions. And that is an insult to those who live those areas. Why? In Somalia and Somaliland there is no such a thing called a disputed region. The reason is every region is occupied and ruled by the tribes that inhabit it. In other words, just as Garowe and Hargaisa regions are not disputed, so are Sool and Eastern Sanag provinces. A land that is occupied by its legitimate owners cannot be claimed by Puntland to be a disputed region. In the Somali tradition such claims amount to an insult.
To sum up, despite Puntland’s bellicose confrontations, Somaliland must continue supporting the people of Sool to self-govern their region and run its affairs. Whether or not the population supports Somaliland is irrelevant. However, stabilizing Sool region peacefully, just like the rest of Somaliland provinces is the only viable solution to Sool conflict.
Additionally, the government needs to increase its budged for Sool to rebuild schools, hospitals, water purification facilities, and electricity factories. Surely enough, pacifying the region and giving it the opportunity to self-govern will give Sool business community and Diasporas the incentives to invest their money in Las Anod instead of Hargaisa, Garowe and Mogadishu. Empowering the people of Sool is the only way forward.
As for the belligerent Puntland leaders (reer isma dhaamaan), from 2003 to 2007 you have collected taxes from Las Anod but spent the money to rebuild Garowe and Bosaso. Four years of freeloading and returning nothing to the residents of Las Anod was enough. And this explained why Las Anoders chased away Puntland forces in October 2007.
No one wins a war—especially one that erupts between two impoverished Somali societies, at a time when Somalia is at the mercy of the occupying Ethiopian troops. For now, just clean up your backyard and let Sool govern itself. And liberate not Las Anod but Mogadishu.
Dalmar Kaahin
dalmar_k@yahoo.com
