AP Several aircraft, armored vehicles provided for the oil expiration of Galgala Mts

[NASSIR]

1,000-man militia being trained in north Somalia

 

Dec 01, 2010

 

NAIROBI, Kenya - In the northern reaches of Somalia and the country's presidential palace, a well-equipped military force is being created, funded by a mysterious donor nation that is also paying for the services of a former CIA officer and a senior ex-U.S. diplomat.

 

The Associated Press has determined through telephone and e-mail interviews with three insiders that training for an anti-piracy force of up to 1,050 men has already begun in Puntland, a semiautonomous region in northern Somalia that is believed to hold reserves of oil and gas.

 

But key elements remain unknown - mainly who is providing the millions of dollars in funding and for what ultimate purpose. Pierre Prosper, an ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues under former President George W. Bush, told AP he is being paid by a Muslim nation he declined to identify to be a legal adviser to the Somali government, focusing on security, transparency and anti-corruption.

 

Prosper said the donations from the Muslim nation come from a "zakat fund," referring to charitable donations that Islam calls for the faithful to give each year. The same donor is paying for both training programs. Somalia hasn't had a fully functioning government since 1991 and is torn between clan warlords, Islamist insurgent factions, an 8,000-strong African Union peacekeeping force, government forces and allied groups.

 

Given that mix, the appearance of an unknown donor with deep pockets is troubling, said E.J. Hogendoorn, a Nairobi-based analyst with the International Crisis Group. "We don't know if this unknown entity is operating in the interests of Somalis or their own self-interest," he said in an interview. "If it's a company, there has to be a quid pro quo in terms of (oil and gas) concessions. If it's a government, they are interested in changing the balance of power."

 

The new force's first class of 150 Somali recruits from Puntland graduated from a 13-week training course on Monday, said Mohamed Farole, the son of Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole. The son, who is a liaison between the government and journalists and diplomats, told AP the new force will hunt down pirates on land in the Galgala mountains.

 

The range lies 125 miles (200 kilometers) north of the nearest main pirate anchorage but is home to an Islamist-linked militia that complains it has been cut out of energy exploration deals. The Islamist militants led by Mohamed Said Atom have clashed with government forces several times this year. A March report by the U.N. accuses Atom of importing arms from Yemen and receiving consignments from Eritrea, including mortars, for delivery to al-Shabab forces in southern Somalia. Al-Shabab is Somalia's biggest insurgent group and has ties with al-Qaida.

 

The president's son emphasized the force was dedicated to anti-piracy, but said that he hoped greater security in the region would bring more investors into "public-private partnerships" with the government.

 

"You cannot have oil exploration if you have insecurity," Mohamed Farole said. "You have to eliminate the pirates and al-Shabab." Energy exploration has started mainly just south of the mountains, although the amount of estimated reserves is unknown, or at least not publicly divulged.

 

Michael Shanklin, who was the CIA's deputy chief of station in Mogadishu 20 years ago, told AP he is employed by the unidentified donor country as a security adviser and liaison to the Somali government. Prosper said he is encouraging the Muslim donor nation, which insists on keeping its identity secret, to become more transparent.

 

The new force will be equipped with 120 new pickup trucks - which have already arrived - and six small aircraft for patrolling the coast, Farole said. No other force in Somalia, including the Mogadishu-based central government or African Union peacekeepers, has air assets.

 

Prosper said the Muslim nation is also donating four armored vehicles. A photo provided by diplomats and taken at Mogadishu's airport show two armored trucks made by Ford with gunner's turrets. In recent weeks, Shanklin and Prosper met several Nairobi-based diplomats to discuss the contract between the Puntland and Mogadishu governments and a private security company called Saracen International, Prosper said in written replies to questions from AP.

 

Prosper said Saracen is doing the military training and is being paid by the unnamed Muslim nation. Saracen is not providing the militia with any weapons, he said. Uganda-based Saracen International was named in a March letter written by the Somali president's former chief of staff, Abdulkareem Jama, and obtained by AP that described training for the presidential guard. And it was named in a Nov. 18 statement from Puntland's government announcing the anti-piracy training.

 

Bill Pelser, the chief executive of Saracen International, said it is "definitely a mistake or a misrepresentation." Pelser denied being involved in the training program in Puntland or the one for the presidential guard in Mogadishu, saying he merely made introductions for another company called Saracen Lebanon.

 

Lebanese authorities have no record of a company called Saracen. Pelser did not respond to requests for contact information for Saracen Lebanon. Pelser is a former South African special forces soldier. Like many of his staff, he used to work for Executive Outcomes, a South African mercenary outfit credited with helping defeat rebel forces in Sierra Leone in return for mineral concessions. Prosper declined to say how much the donor country has spent on the programs.

 

Two Nairobi-based security analysts calculate it has already spent around $10 million on equipment, salaries and other costs. The analysts asked for anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the press. Somalia's vast swaths of lawless territory host training camps for hundreds of foreign fighters aiding al-Shabab. Lying across the narrow Gulf of Aden from Yemen, Somalia is a haven for figures seeking to escape a U.S.-funded crackdown on terrorist networks in Yemen. Whoever controls a well-trained, well-equipped and consistently paid military force is in a strong position to make a bid for filling the power vacuum in Somalia.

 

Farole declined to comment on his father's political future but noted that since his father became Puntland's president, he chased many pirates out of the region and ensured regular payments for soldiers in a country where many desert because the central government is too disorganized or corrupt to pay them.

 

The U.N. is quietly investigating to see if the creation and outfitting of the new military force violates an arms embargo, according to a U.N. representative who asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak publicly. The embargo forbids the importation of arms, military equipment or any support to any armed group in Somalia, including to any Somali government, without authorization from the U.N.'s sanctions committee. There is an exemption for support for counter-piracy operations, provided the Security Council was notified and gave permission. In the case of the new military force, the Security Council was not notified.

 

By KATHARINE HOURELD Associated Press

 

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[xiinfaniin]

I know which Muslim nation the article is reffering to. But I am not telling

[Che -Guevara]

Aw Xiin...That means you know nothing.

 

 

How reliable are these reports?

[xiinfaniin]

Yeah I know nothing, che. Keep querying awoowe

 

Simply put, what is irking these intelligence data mining reports is the prospect of the rise of a Somali entity with a strong security infrastructure. That is the short of it.

[Che -Guevara]

One thing is sure a well armed and well financed security force at Puntland's disposal is coup for Faroole.

[xiinfaniin]

I would say it is a coup for Somalia.

[Che -Guevara]

^Let's not get too excited Aw

[xiinfaniin]

^^You are emotionalizing it as always, che--old habits die hard.

 

In Xiin's world anything that has a semblance of governance, a touch of progress, or an element of infrastructure building deserves to be welcome.

 

Meaningless cynicism never appeals to me.

 

 

Ponder on the picture below: that is what Katherine is casting doubt on awoowe.

 

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

Originally posted by NASSIR:

The new force will be equipped with six small aircraft for patrolling the coast

Progress indeed. I like it.

[Thankful]

Excellent part on the Puntland government! Very impressive to say the least!

 

Let's thank that ever elusive Mr. Ataam where ever he is hiding for bringing all this support to Puntland! He made it clear he was working with Al Shabaab!!!

 

Aircrafts....I just cant' believe

[Che -Guevara]

^You mean Puntland got an airforce before Somaliland

 

 

Xiin...Excuse my cynicism but Somalia has become cash-cow for technical advisors, analysts, and consultants all of who are there to help in "capacity building".

[Peace Action]

This must be very impressive project if ICG is questioning it and it makes Faroole look good and smart on investing on security and anti-piracy. Faroole is not useless as NG opined.

[NASSIR]

Good news to the hard core Puntlanders, but it confirms what we have been saying all along, that inter-clan rivalry and the hunt for resources - oil & minerals - were the primary factors driving the conflict. PL was certainly aided by outside intelligence and logistics. But now it's a different outlook, one that invites a non-state actor, vultures, plus a direct violation of the UN arms embargo on Somalia.

[Thankful]

GAROWE ONLINE EDITORIAL | Those same jokers say Garowe Online opinion represents Puntland government opinion.

 

What did they say? U.N. Security Council arms embargo?

 

The joke of the century! Any logical mind will refuse such a grand lie. U.N. power is limited to coffee shops inside New York City where the world's rich and powerful rub shoulders.

 

Those same jokers say Garowe Online opinion represents Puntland government opinion. So what you're effectively saying is, despite the years of hard work, investment, dedication and love of country, Garowe Online belongs to Puntland government? Sorry, Somali arms embargo by U.N. is a joke – Puntland government sympathy for Garowe Online is a bigger joke. Garowe Online is equal to every independent news agency in Somalia.

 

Puntland will not beg anyone for its security. Puntland will not ask anyone for permission for its own security, not Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia or U.S. State Department, or the U.N. This is the power of Puntland – granted, by He who has Absolute Power, Allahu Akbar.

 

Associated Press says Puntland wants to search for oil in Galgala hills. Sure, Puntland has its own oil company. It's called Galgala Oil Company; if what you say is true, please search for oil yourself. Puntland will guarantee the security for all companies who invest in Puntland – Muslim or non-Muslim.

 

No country on earth helped Puntland fight a three-month war in Galgala hills against Al Shabaab terrorists. Now that Puntland won the war, and is improving its security, the complaints about U.N. arms embargo is the discussion? Did the U.N. help Puntland fight a war? Does U.N. protect Puntland officials, who face assassination by Al Shabaab any minute? Oh wait, U.N. officials with three-piece suit are sipping coffee in New York City.

 

We say: Puntland security first, U.N. whining later. Puntland has no time for U.N. whining when its officials are targets. Puntland will not be a sitting duck, waiting for Al Shabaab terrorists to shoot our brilliant men and women, who work hard, who dedicate their life to helping their people. Puntland will never appease terrorists. But those who lie, and say Puntland wants oil in Galgala, please feel free to invest in Galgala and search for this elusive oil. Puntland will guarantee security for all investors.

 

International Crisis Group is a criminal organization based in Brussels. Their meetings are all about how to create violence and conflict in Pakistan, or Venezuela, or Puntland. They are intellectual mercenaries. Puntland has defeated Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda ideology. The remaining Al Shabaab terrorist cells will be dealt with mercilessly. But Puntland, or the Somali people as a whole as the gatekeepers of Islam, will never apologize for our Holy Religion. Puntland is home to Muslims. AP reports that a so-called Muslim country is funding anti-piracy troops being trained in Puntland.

 

Must be the crime of the century! One imagines the three-piece suit man, reading a newspaper in Melbourne or Seattle, who reads the AP version of truth about Puntland's anti-piracy troops. The notion of a "Muslim country" funding troops in Puntland is supposed to scare that man with the suit. He will wonder, he will ask questions, he will have much to fear.

 

So Puntland should have waited for Western donor money to fund its own security? Our deepest apologies, on behalf of Puntland since everyone is convinced Garowe Online is Puntland government. We are sorry. We should have waited. Waited for the terrorists to bomb our homes! We should give terrorists more time to kill educated persons in Puntland. Yes, this is appeasement policy of Western powers – those who declared a war they will never finish. Yes, lets appease the terrorists and say Somalia has U.N. arms embargo.

 

Please don't mention the terrorists who control ports and airports in Baidoa, Marka, Kismayo, Bali Dogle and Barawe. They have airplanes and ships bring them weapons every week. Please, don't mention them because the West appeases such terrorists. No one mention them. How dare you mention them!

 

Mention Puntland! They are under U.N. arms embargo on Somalia. Use Associated Press, to ensure delivery of message in every Western household, everyone should be scared of Puntland security forces being trained and funded by, so-called "Muslim country" and their "zakat fund."

 

Why is this Muslim country so mysterious? Associated Press should respect itself and never allow unconfirmed news to be published. Unless, there are Western governments who are unhappy, who are in fact terrified, Puntland will have helicopters to hunt down Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda terrorists. TFG is a failure – it's a joke among Somali people. Sheikh Sharif is a coward who lives inside of a plane – when he is not inside of a plane, he is asking his best friend Godane to have mercy on Ugandan soldiers serving in Mogadishu. Not asking mercy for his Somali brothers.

 

No one knows what the West wants with Somalia. Maybe Somalia should be a bathroom for Ethiopians to use. Or maybe Somalia should bow down to the power of its enemies, including those in the West, who advocate for continued anarchy in Somalia. This will never be acceptable.

 

Somalis will have their own army, they will rise above expectations, and Africa will be stunned when its hero (Somalia) stands up again.

 

No one has the right or ability to interfere with Puntland's security interests. Puntland will fight its enemies, first and foremost those who advocate assassinations and bombings in Puntland. There will be no mercy for them.

 

Puntland shall never apologize for taking full charge of its own security. But those terrorists in three-piece suit, who wish to see Somalia burn forever and be enslaved by Ethiopians and Ugandans, please remember one truth:

 

Puntland's destiny is already decided. Hate it or love it.

 

Garoweonline

[Timur]

An overhaul of the military was long overdue, and Puntland should've received aircraft years ago.