PUNTLAND: The Galgala Conflict and its Long-term security Implication on the Region

[NASSIR]

The Galgala Conflict and its Long-term security Implication on the Region

[Thankful]

Of course the article never mentions once that Mr. Atam went on air right after the battle and said he was Al Shabaab, a terrorist group that has been banned by many countries. The declaration he made of solidarity with them would have him arrested in any country.

 

Either way, the article should at least address the interview. You can be assured though that the international community is aware of his interview!

 

So please Nassir, you can try and hope people will forget about the interview where Atam pledge his allegiance to Al Shabaab, but we won't! You can be assured that the Puntland government gave a copy to all their foreign allies. Who will in turn make their own conclusion when the man says "We are Al Shabaab and Al Shabaab is us."

 

Good article, but it should not try and sweep under the rug the damaging Pal Talk interview Atam did the day after the battle took place.

[Polanyi]

^^ lol, you're still going about that interview? Did you even listen it objectively or without bias? The man said shabab are his brothers like all other Islamist groups. Then he recited the well known Ayat from the Quran( very rough transliteration: the believers are one brotherhood). By your Logic, this would mean ATOM is also a member of AQ, Taliban, Xisbul Islam, the Chechnyan groups and so and so forth. Evidently, the interview was a good propaganda coup for diehard supporters of the Anti Islamic and oppresive regime of puntieland against the local, halganized Islamic Wilaya of Galgala, Maakhirstan, whose only crime was to use the Islamic SHariah as a system of arbitration and justice. However, the man didn't literally say he was part of them. Anyone took that from the interview, frankly, doesn't have a clue.......nice try though....lolllllllllll

[Thankful]

You know Karl, Ngonge, you Nassir and others that have issues with Puntland. You try and change his words. This is why I am not trying to convince you! All I am saying is that the man said this: in al-Shabaab ay iyaga yihiin Iyaguna al-Shabaab yihiin <-- this is exactly what the man said! This translates into "We are Al-Shabaab and Al Shabaab is us"! So you can try and avoid that direct quote which came out of his mouth and try and interpret what he really meant. But remember this, the international community and their security agencies will have to interpret the quote for themselves and if you think they will give such a sugar quoted opinion on it, please think again! Plus, I heard when he said that Al Shabaab is his brothers, so my question is, do you think by him saying this it is not a declaration of solidarity with a group that is on many western nations terrorist list and he won't be grouped with them??? You know if a organization has been placed on the terrorist list and someone comes out and says that the group on the list is their brothers....then they can expect to be put on that list as well! (and dont say he calling all muslim groups his brothers, because their are many in Somalia and the world that have denounced Al Shabaab, however he has not!)

 

Sometimes I wonder what goes through people’s heads, because it's one thing to have an opinion on something. But it's another to try and pretend something doesn't exist. Just like this article on Dhahar, which tries to never mention such a damaging interview, you would think they would address it and try and interpret it in a positive light. But instead they make no mention; I believe this is because it's obvious they know the words he used are just to damning.

[Polanyi]

^^ Your translation is correct. But you are not understand it in the context he said it and the words that followed it. I repeat: the man never said he was part of them in the literal sense. Ngonge can explain this for you.

[Thankful]

Ngonge said this:

 

SOL

 

In admitting to be a member of Al Shabab he said something along the lines of "We are Al Shabab and Al Shabab are us". You consider this a clear and unambiguous admittance but

I think

it is still a vague statement (when one considers the question he was being asked or the way they led up to the question). The man's position seemed to be that all "Mujahideen" are the same.

The key to it is "I think", which means it's his opinion. So, what I am saying is that others may have another opinion on it. I personally think if you say a group is your brothers and that we are them and they are you, it is pretty clear! But again, others will interpret it themselves!

 

Regardless, this article on Dhahar tries to hide the interview by making no mention of it. Which is unacceptable!

[General Duke]

Al Shabaab won't defeat Puntland nor will this conflict have any major issues on our state security inshallah.

Today regardless of what Part-time Puntlanders compose the fact remains that the situation is under control.

[Thankful]

I agree and if you see a heavyweight politician (As Nassir calls him) from Maakhir Ilka-Jiir who is Puntland Minister of Interior participated in the August 1st celebrations yesterday. Despite being from the same area as Mr. Atam, he supports Puntland and has denounced him!

 

[Beer-Gaal]

Ila wareedyo aan lagu kalsoonayn ayaa sheegaya in isqabad gacan hadal keenay dhexmaray G.Ilka jiir oo dhinac ah iyo M.kuxigeenka iyo W.Amniga oo dhinac ah , waxaa wararku sheegayaan in M.Kuxigeenku Beelay Fool (ilig)kadib markii G. dharbaaxay!! .....the above picture says defferent story though!

[NGONGE]

Originally posted by Thankful:

Ngonge said this:

 

SOL

 

quote:

---

In admitting to be a member of Al Shabab he said something along the lines of "We are Al Shabab and Al Shabab are us". You consider this a clear and unambiguous admittance but

I think it is still a vague statement (when one considers the question he was being asked or the way they led up to the question). The man's position seemed to be that all "Mujahideen" are the same.

The key to it is "I think", which means it's his opinion. So, what I am saying is that others may have another opinion on it. I personally think if you say a group is your brothers and that we are them and they are you, it is pretty clear! But again, others will interpret it themselves!

 

Regardless, this article on Dhahar tries to hide the interview by making no mention of it. Which is unacceptable!

It is not an opinion, saaxib. It is an educated guess. It was doubly confirmed in Atam's second interview. However, despite all of that, I still wouldn't put it past him if he came out later and declared that he is indeed a member of Al Shabab. Somali poltics, don't you just love it?

 

P.S.

You are right about me having issues with PL. I don't like their 'neither here nor there' position (one that A&T is now trying to sell to his own kin).

[Xudeedi]

PUNTLAND: The Galgala Conflict and its Long-term security Implication on the Region

 

By Mohamed A. Elmi

 

 

August 01, 2010

 

 

Photo by DhaharOnline: View of Galgala mountains near the Laag village

 

 

Prior to the release of the transcript about the VOA interview with Sheikh Mohamed Said Atam, I shared the same anxious sentiment Puntland leaders expressed about the would-be Islamists aspiring to impose their own rule system around Galgala mountains. The international media, within the confines of their limited sources of information, leaned heavily on the assertions of Puntland. My own search for truth, observations and assessments of this conflict give another picture. Owing to the tendentious definition propagated by Farole, the governor of the self-autonomous region of Puntland, many outside the community as well have also developed a narrow conception of the nature of the conflict. It was a hasty and emotional definition, one that dovetails Puntland’s internal issues with the larger geopolitical security of the region.

 

 

As an instrumentalist leader, Farole came on air and spared no chance to galvanize the people (read as clan) of Puntland and rally them for an immediate response against the threats of “al-shabaab” in the Galgala/Bosasso area. He proclaimed that Sheikh Atam and his militias are dark forces with training camps in Bosaso environs and they are thus bent on destroying the state of Puntland. He urged everyone from all walks of life to bear and carry arms and defend Puntland and its important economic lifeline, a reference to the port city, Bossaso. Elders of Bari and Sanaag provinces made initial efforts to intervene in order to get each side to alter or adjust its behavior. The appeal for Consensus and compromise was subordinated and the deployment of coercive instruments was promoted through the sub-division and sensationalizing of the public.

 

 

To the locals, the conflict was triggered by the play out of deeply-embedded grievance against a controversial decision that granted mineral rights to foreign companies. Other regional experts also allege territorial rows between the sub-clans of Dubeiss and *****ten sub-clans in the region of Bosasso. Many villages settled by both sub-clans straddle alongside the main road that links the commercial city of Bosasso to the hinterland and other regions outside the control of Puntland State. Moreover, ever since it was established with the backing of the United States, the Puntland Intelligence Services (PIA) devolved into a decline mode. A clan-centric conception of its hierarchical structure and composition took on a prominent role to be ensued by harsh policies of preemptive targets and rendition. While forestalling the political evolution of Puntland into a strong form of good governance, it further widened the schism between these sub-clans---the source of its legitimacy and power.

 

 

The Connection between Majihan and Galgala Conflict

The daily newspaper Sydney Morning Herald reported on April 21, 2006 a bloody conflict between the clan militias of Sheikh Mohamed Said Atam and the former governor of Puntland, Mohamed Muse Hiris (Ade) over the mineral exploration rights that Puntland had granted to Range Resources. The article also informed the investors of the desperate hunt for oil and minerals in conflict zone areas of Africa. The actors of both conflicts are of the same men but the arena in which it has been played has changed as well as the outcome. The Morning Herald stated,

 

 

“”In a sign of just how desperate oil companies are becoming to replace reserves, a mystery "oil major" has signed a letter of intent with Range Resources.

Range has the rights to 50.1 per cent of the oil and minerals in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland in Somalia - a place that oil majors like Houston's Conoco abandoned in the face of civil war 15 years ago.The civil war is over in that part of Somalia. But the ********** clan is upset at the Puntland Government's handling of the Range deal and Somali sources report 10 people have died in clashes with the president's militia in the last month.

 

 

On July 29, A Petition signed by 21 prominent Chiefs of Puntland released this statement.

 

 

“Since the July 26, 2010’s violence took place in our region, we request from all parties to the Galgala conflict to refrain from further armed confrontation and wait for the outcome of our Peace and Fact Finding Mission to the armed group in the Galgala Mountains. We will report back our findings, which will either be genuine peace overtures or a declaration of war against Puntland by the armed group in the Galgala Mountains.”

 

 

On his declaration of war, Farole appeared to be a man with no sense of mission to advance the interest of the state of Puntland or end this conflict. He became an obstacle to those who acted out of profound conviction to bridge the gap between two brotherly communities. He had committed a series of errors that hampered his approach to resolving this issue. First, he broke an earlier agreement in Galgala. Second, he bypassed the Elders' intervention and request to resolve this issue in a peaceful approach and traditional conflict resolution methods. Then, he declared an all-out war on the inhabitants of Galgala and labeled the region as a "terrorist haven" by appealing to the world to come to his aid. He also galvanized the ordinary persons on the streets of Galka’ayo, Qardho and Garowe to rise and pick up any form of weapons, an occasion that was reminiscent of the 1990s bloodbaths in Mogadishu and the Lower Shabelle.

 

 

His list of gaffes and policy miscalculations continued without the least fear of economic and political consequences. Two days prior to the battle of Karin, Farole ordered the deportation of hundreds of IDP's under the false pretext that they are a potential threat to the city of Bosasso. Though condemned by international human rights organizations and UNHCR, this move was interpreted to be his ill-designed strategy to solicit a public support for his campaign of "full security crackdown", an excuse to justify his war on the people of Galgala and western region.

 

 

Puntland has never been under attack. The people of Galgala of Bari region and by extension of Sanaag have made significant contribution to the Puntland’s competitive position and progress as an islet of peace in a sea of anarchy, secessionism, or the imported ideology of Islamic Revival. They bolstered its peace and bargaining power at the national level. And they harbor no ill designs to commence renewed hostility nor do they wish to destroy the fragile peace Puntland has sustained or its economic infrastructure. Clearly, as it is evident from the Petition signed by the Elders, they intend not to exacerbate further the division within its disparate communities. It is their country that Puntland declared unjust war under the false pretext of "terrorism" in order to further cement its domination of the region, subjugate its inhabitants and exploit the mineral rich areas of Galgala and Majihan.

 

 

 

 

 

By Mohamed A. Elmi

 

 

ahafinance@gmail.com

 

 

San Diego, CA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

 

 

 

 

Hirad, Abdalla. “Is The President Of Puntland Playing With Fire?” April 09, 2006. Somaliland.org

 

Baaq ay soo saareen waxgaradka Gobolada Haylaan iyo Galbeedka Bari. July 19, 2010. Hiiraan Online.

 

For a list of reports complied by Biyokulule-Online involving in the Galgala and Majihan conflict.

[Xudeedi]

The daily newspaper Sydney Morning Herald reported on April 21, 2006 a bloody conflict between the clan militias of Sheikh Mohamed Said Atam and the former governor of Puntland, Mohamed Muse Hiris (Ade) over the mineral exploration rights that Puntland had granted to Range Resources. The article also informed the investors of the desperate hunt for oil and minerals in conflict zone areas of Africa. The actors of both conflicts are of the same men but the arena in which it has been played has changed as well as the outcome.

Over-all, this is a great analysis and very uselfull to those who desire to understand the root causes of the Galgala incident. Same conflict as Majiyahan just a different playgrownd. Great Job Nassir

[Xudeedi]

The then clan militia's of Atam as accurately depicted by the sydney morning won't all of a sudden dissolve into International Islamist. This will further clearify what was long hidden by Puntland's clan outlets.

[The Zack]

Xudeedi, so do u still consider yourself a Puntlander?

[Xudeedi]

Zack being a Puntlander is nothing holly like a Muslim, it was a clan confederation that was kindnapped by one sub-clan. I openly and outrightly denounce the corrupt pirate regime, so long as it's pillars remain the same.

 

I'm a Puntlander geographically because Galgala is the ancient land of the Punt and i'm a stakeholder in the fragile state's economic lifeline.

 

Zack hope that answered your question