AMISOM Troops to be supplied with logistics support via Somaliland

[Jacaylbaro]

HARGEISA (Somalilandpress) — The United Nations Support Office for AMISOM (UNSOA), a field support operation for African Union troops supporting the weak transitional government of neighbouring Somalia might facilitate equipment and mission support through Somaliland, a local source reveals.

 

According to local newspaper, Geeska Afrika, delegates representing the Nairobi-based UNSOA and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) are expected to arrive in the Somaliland capital on Monday.

 

The visit is expected to last for a day and the UN bodies will conduct a fact-finding mission in which they will study the port and airport in Berbera and Hargeisa’s main Egal International airport.

 

Under UN Security Council Resolution 1863, the Council provides UNSOA with mandate to deliver logistic, equipment and mission support to the AMISOM troops based in the al-Shabaab strong held Mogadishu. The African mission is to support the weak Transitional government of Sheikh Sharif by safeguarding important government institutions and structures, train the Somali security forces and help deliver much needed aid.

 

However, the weak government of Sheikh Sharif controls only few blocks of its capital and the AMISOM troops have been constantly under attack from al-Shabaab fighters. The equipment needed to defeat the rebel Islamist group has so far been difficult to deliver with larger cargo jets been an easy target for the Al Qaeda linked group.

The port of Mogadishu is also constantly under al-shabaab fire and is almost impossible to use.

 

The officials from the United Nation will collect various data and reports about the two airports and port and will assess if they can deliver the logistics package through Somaliland.

 

Currently UNSOA facilitates logistics operations through the port of Mombasa and Entebbe, the largest commercial and military airport in Uganda.

 

Ever since Somaliland’s democratic election in June, a number of Western and UN bodies have insisted they would have more direct engagement with Somaliland. The United States last month announced it was stepping up aid for Somaliland and its engagement.

 

In the past months, Somaliland has been also rehabilitating a number of airports around the country. Two weeks ago, the new government has reopened the long-neglected Buaro airport (see Burao Airport Begins Operation).

The government completed a new terminal for Berbera airport, which already has the longest runway in Africa and announced a new six-story terminal was also in progress (see Berbera airport gets new terminal). Hargeisa’s own Egal international airport is getting a new makeover as well for the first time since 1960.

 

Berbera has a deepwater port that was constructed by the Soviets and it can handle most large vessels. The port is Somaliland government’s primary source of income. If the UNSOA decides to use Somaliland facilities, it would boost Somaliland’s revenues and geopolitical importance.

 

The government has not so far commented on the issue however locals are wary of the true motives of UNSOA and ICAO.

 

Somaliland’s stability and its viable democratic institutions have been gaining support from African and Western States.

[Timur]

I thought Ethiopia had a monopoly on Berbera.

[Che -Guevara]

Better Berbera than Mombasa!

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Why should we allow this in our country?

What's in there for somaliland. To help them with their logistics.

[AfricaOwn]

Originally posted by Timur:

I thought Ethiopia had a monopoly on Berbera.

Why don't they consider the port Bosaso?

[Freedom]

^^ Dont you know thats Pirate centeral lol

[Amistad]

Originally posted by Xaji_Xunjuf:

Why should we allow this in our country?

What's in there for somaliland. To help them with their logistics.

Huge port fees, Intl recognition that Somaliland is a playa in assisting the GWOT and not supporting Shabab, forwarding someones else's meaning of democracy etc etc etc

 

part two would seem to be getting the goods overland by truck in one piece all the way to the south.

 

No need for locals to be wary of ICAO. It is simply an Intl airport safety standards, rules & regulations organization with no ill intent or ulterior motives in mind, they should be welcomed in any capacity building in SL despite what UNSOA wants.

 

If SL opens an ICAO maintained airport it really puts them on the Intl Airport map and would have many benefits on the road to progress.

[AfricaOwn]

^^Right on, Xaji needs think the bigger picture.

[Jacaylbaro]

This will benefit Somaliland a lot but also too risky at the same time. Berbera is located in a very strategic place where even the security for those shipments and airport can easily be monitored. It will also mean lots of jobs for the locals as well as the other political & Military advantages.

 

Sh. Sharif will have expect support from Somaliland whenever Alshabab makes a move ,,,,

[Polanyi]

The patriotic people of SOmaliland( not the puppets, tribalists, and money hungry sol posters) should protest this and reject being used to aid the ethnic cleansing of Muqdisho inhabitants.

[Thankful]

This is a good move! I think by using all of Somalia's regions to combat Al Shabaab the country will rise again. NW Somalia is safe from them, but they need to contribute as well or risk it spreading. Puntland took on Atam!

 

Good news.

[Jacaylbaro]

^ ^ Anna waa ikan ,, eh ??

[Timur]

Why don't they consider the port Bosaso?

Siad Barre never built Bosaso to handle large scale shipments. Only Kismayo, Berbera, and Xamar were built by the regime to handle industrial and military equipment. Bosaso was only built as a small merchant port and wasn't expanded until the locals did it themselves in the early 90s.

 

That's also the reason why Ethiopia chose to annex Berbera, it is a full industrial container port unlike Bosaso which is a regional merchant port. The lanes of Bosaso port are very narrow, so there's some great limitations in importing/exporting large numbers of containers.

[Kamaavi]

Terrorized by war on terror?

[Geel_jire]

if this is true. then somaliland becomes a culprit in any crimes committed by AMISOM.

 

the weapons, fuel, logistics used to kill civilians flows through somaliland .. then somaliland becomes a justifiable target of AS .. no amount of crocodile tears will change that.