Somalia nomads complain of foreign military 'stealing wildlife'

[BiLaaL]

 

GAROWE, Somalia Sep 29 (Garowe Online) - Residents in Somalia's Puntland State are frequently reporting of foreign helicopters hunting wildlife in rural and coastal areas, Radio Garowe reports.

 

The reports began in Nov. 2008 and have impacted towns and villages in Puntland's Nugal, Karkar and Mudug regions.

 

On Tuesday, a Somali livestock herder named Osman "Zoppe" Hassan Abdirahman who lives in Nugal region's Godobjiran district reported that foreign helicopters are "terrorizing" local populations.

 

"I saw with my own eyes a military helicopter flying overhead with a net full of deer hanging below," Mr. Zoppe said via a telephone interview on Radio Garowe's Good Morning program.

 

He described the military helicopters as "spraying the wildlife" before collecting them in big nets and flying away. "Some of my livestock were killed by the spray," he added, while describing the spray as "a type of poison."

 

Mr. Zoppe said the helicopters mostly "collect deer and pigs in the wild" and said local nomad families are "terrorized" by the helicopter's actions.

 

He said helicopters from foreign naval warships patrolling Somalia's long coast, especially the waters around Puntland State, as responsible for hunting the wildlife.

 

NATO warships are patrolling the Puntland coast in a campaign against pirates, who pose a serious threat to international maritime trade.

 

Puntland is a self-governing region in northeast Somalia. Since 2007, the region has seen a spike in pirate attacks and attracted NATO warships to its shores.

Source

[BiLaaL]

Two earlier reports in Aug 2009 and Nov 2008.

 

 

Somalia: Helicopters hunt wildlife, residents say

27 Aug 27, 2009 - 9:47:34 AM

 

Gara’ad, Somalia:- (Garowe Online) Residents and elders in the Somali Coastal village of Gara’ad have voiced concern over helicopters hunting various types of wildlife, including ostrich and gazelles, Radio Garowe has reported.

 

According to the elders who have made contact with the Puntland-based radio, helicopters have been used to dart the wildlife before taking them onboard.

 

“For the last five days, the hunters have been anesthetizing the animals before taking them onboard to ships based on the high seas” said Tahug Muse Ahmed, one of the elders who made contact with the Radio.

 

He added that local elders have agreed to conserve the wildlife nine years ago and imposed fines on anybody held on hunting after the wildlife in the area was close to extinction.

 

However, it is not clear which country owns the helicopters but international naval powers, including NATO have deployed warships to the waters off Somalia over past years to escort aid-carrying ships bound to Somalia and to protect the maritime trade routes from Somali pirates.

 

Coastal villagers report of helicopters hunting wildlife

11 Nov 11, 2008 - 7:03:03 AM

 

GALKAYO, Somalia Nov 11 (Garowe Online) - Coastal villagers in Somalia are increasingly reporting incidents whereby naval forces from unknown foreign countries are actively hunting wildlife in the war-torn Horn of Africa country.

 

A traditional elder from a village in Mudug region, central Somalia, told the BBC Somali Service recently that local leaders are collecting evidence and eyewitness reports regarding the hunting allegations.

"Three helicopters landed three separate days," said elder Mohamed Hussein Warsame, quoting witnesses and community leaders.

 

Soldiers jumped out of the helicopters and loaded live animals, including deer and ostriches, the he added. The helicopters then returned to a warship off the coast.

 

Mr. Warsame said the foreign soldiers used a technique to subdue the animals, some of which are extremely fast and agile.

 

He indicated that the identity of the warships remained unknown, but that locals have reported seeing the American flag hovering above one of the warships in the distance.

 

Foreign warships from a number of countries, mainly in the West, are patrolling Somalia's waters in an international anti-piracy campaign.

 

Since 1991, when the country's last government imploded, Somalia's long and unprotected coastline became subject to illegal practices including overfishing and toxic waste dumping.

 

Source: Garowe Online

[Castro]

Originally posted by BiLaaL:

"I saw with my own eyes a military helicopter flying overhead with a net full of deer hanging below," Mr. Zoppe said via a telephone interview on Radio Garowe's Good Morning program.

Perhaps the deer held foreign passports and were being rescued by their adopted country? Or they may have been registered as internally displaced wildlife and their applications for asylum had been approved. Come to think of it, these street-smart deer may have won the Green Card lottery and were being flown to Nairobi to catch a flight to Nashville, Tennessee.

 

Jokes aside. In a land where human life has so little value, I doubt the deer or any other wildlife have a snowball's chance in hell of becoming newsworthy.

 

When you're all out of tears, it's hard to weep for the deer.

[Xidigo]

^^

[BiLaaL]

^^ This isn’t just about the unlawful looting of wildlife (itself an important issue). These incidents also raise a plethora of other concerns – questions of impunity and wilful transgression of our country’s territorial integrity – just to name a few.

[Cara.]

^Unfortunately, territorial integrity is one of those polite fictions only maintained with a big gun.

 

How about giving these nomads simple video cameras and having them film these mysterious helicopters? I'm sure it would be a Youtube hit.

[Castro]

Originally posted by BiLaaL:

These incidents also raise a plethora of other concerns – questions of impunity and wilful transgression of our country’s territorial integrity – just to name a few.

I thought the wholesale invasions, patrolling of seas, stationing of "peacekeeping" troops and the occasional extra-judicial killings by foreign countries already made that abundantly clear?

 

I admire your enthusiasm for the wildlife, brother, but I don't see how snatching wild deer and pigs with helicopters could shed any more light on that cluster fcuk, formerly known as Somalia.

[kyz]

castro ceeb weeye waxaad ku hadlaysd , wadankaagiii somahan miyadan soomai ahayn

[Muriidi]

what about the aliens who abduct people and cows?!!

[Cara.]

^They filed permits with the Intergalactic Wildlife Agency. The paperwork has been available at the IWA regional office in Alpha Centauri for the past three centuries.

[Faarax-Brawn]

Originally posted by Arac:

^They filed permits with the Intergalactic Wildlife Agency. The paperwork has been available at the IWA regional office in Alpha Centauri for the past three centuries.

L0L

 

Helicopters? Deer hunting? in Nets? Wtf are they gonna do with it?

[AfricaOwn]

Originally posted by Arac:

^They filed permits with the Intergalactic Wildlife Agency. The paperwork has been available at the IWA regional office in Alpha Centauri for the past three centuries.