SOMALIA: Prominent Somali Legislator speaks about Puntland’s oil deal and the . . . .

[Jacaylbaro]

SOMALIA: Prominent Somali Legislator speaks about Puntland’s oil deal and the uprooted Galgala community

 

 

August 16, 2010

 

Bosaaso, (Laasqoray Online) – Hon. Asha Abdalla, prominent member of Somalia’s legislative branch and veteran politician whose constituency is the Sanaag Region of Somalia, represents Sanaag/Makhir people, in her seat of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG).

 

Puntland president recently declared war on poor farmers in Galgala City of Bari region, where thousands of troops have been deployed by President Abdirahman Faroole in order to uproot and eliminate indigenous community settlements. The MP said that this a direct violation of international human rights.

 

‘President Faroole had deceived the world when he said: “terrorists are hiding in Galgala mountaineous belt,” she said.

 

“Indeed, he wants to mine Majiyahan and Galgala area, illegally” Asha was interviewed by the British Broadcasting Corporation “BBC” regarding the Galgala conflict.

 

“So far one hundred and fifty families have been displaced from Galgala city. These families reached Dhahar city of Sanaag Region a week after the war started. A huge fight between the self-styled Natural Resource Defenders of Sanaag/Western Bari regions, and Puntland government broke out near the town of Galgala in late July 2010.

 

Col. Abdisamad Ali is Faroole’s deputy and the perpetrator of the attacks that displaced so many people. “The area has no presence of humanitarian organizations and the wounded civilians have no where to go,” Asha Abdalla said.

 

“Eight months of economic sanction was imposed on the residents of Galgala and environs by Puntland Government; the produce from Galgala farms were also banned from other parts of Puntland and Somalia; this long-enforced policy of economic sanction had angered the local people and made their lives harder for the last eight months.

 

This policy of coercion and of intimidation has led the community of Galgala to arm themselves and defend their territory from anew Blood Diamonds Group under the guise of the Puntland administration,” Asha added.

 

Coined as the new blood diamonds of Liberia, the small consortium that are prospecting oil and minerals in Puntland is registered in different countries in order to avoid lawsuits. They are opportunistic foreign companies that manipulate corrupt leaders in order to exploit the natural resources of smaller and poor countries through illegal contracts and the bribing of the head of states. These companies include Range Resources, Cinnmax and African Oil. Company.

 

Isse Dholowa a naturalized Australian citizen is the leading manager of these petty contracts. Liiban Muse Boqor, a British citizen is another key player of the illegal schemes. The latter had subsequently arranged for himself consulting fees of a huge windfall and bonuses.

 

Mr. Boqor was the middleman in 2006 between Ade Muse, former Puntland president and Range resources, Ltd. He is also a member of the new team of experts that Farole arranged for the take-over bid Africa Oil made with the departing Range Resources, Ltd.

 

The President of Puntland, Abdirahman Faroole, an Australian citizen as well, has been part of the group and is the mastermind of the latest plot to uproot and eliminate the residents of Galgala.

 

To fulfill illegal mining in their territory, President Farole ordered his troops to attack the area. But the junta met huge resistance from the area.

 

 

The Administration’s connection to petty contracts

 

Puntland troops entered Galgala town a week after a tactical retreat of the defending militia (known as the Natural Resource Defenders of Sanaag and western Bari). After the invasion, Puntland troops set ablaze century old farms of Galgala residents. These farms produce dates, vegetables, fruits, rice and bananas.

 

The front line soldiers of Puntland also humiliated and injured women and children in the town. They also looted houses and other properties, local reports confirm.

 

These horrible stories were related to the world by Hon. Asha Ahmed Abdalla in her interview with the BBC/Somali. She warned against the consequences of the invasion, the uprooting of the natives and the looting of Galgala community’s properties.

 

“Calling innocent people terrorists and extremists is very dangerous.

 

“Legalizing the looting of people’s private properties, and the burning of their farms is a criminal act,” Asha said.

 

“Whether the administration authorized such criminal acts by the soldiers of the new blood diamonds group or not indicate that the administration does not give due respect and care for human lives. A big social crime is committed in any case,” Asha said.

 

“My constituency is in Puntland and I’ve the right to talk about the reality and defend Puntland people and confront who’s harming us,” she said.

 

“I don’t want to hide what the president is doing to the community– he’s an unrecognized governor, has no right to mine without consulting federal legislators, and leaders of the community, the very people I represent in the TFG,” Asha said.

 

“There are available written and oral evidence pointing to bilateral contracts between the government leaders and mining companies,” Asha said.

 

In a nutshell the self-styled leader of Natural Resource Troops of the Western Bari territories, Mohamed Said Atom is defending his people and land from the invasion orchestrated by the blood diamonds group that wants to mine the area.

 

This is not the first time these companies tried to mine the area. It was in mid 2006 when the locals led by Atam first chased out the miners and their illegal companies. Atom also took away the notion that he had links to Islamist groups in Southern Somalia.

 

“I’m neither Alshabaab nor do I have links to Islamist groups in southern Somalia. I’m in my home area and we have been attacked by Puntland outlaw president, Farole, ” He told the VOA [transcript ].

 

President Farole’s administration failed to preside over the dismal security status in his home town of Eyl–a pirate den.

 

There is a wide public suspicion instead that the president has no vested interest in securing the unity of Puntlanders or taking concrete policy actions that would keep the peace and co-existance of communities in major towns because of his close ties to sea piracy. In a Security Council report, Farole was identified as the chief of Puntland’s lucrative sea Piracy.

 

His administration has had links to the sea pirates of eastern Africa, particularly from Eyl base, where dozens of abducted vessels are still anchored. Eyl is the epicenter of high-seas piracy on Somali coast.

 

Farole had also received a large sums of pirate money for his finance campaigns to secure the uneven distribution of the electoral votes of Puntland’s presidential election. It is unlikely the dust started by his predecessor will settle anytime soon.

 

Last week, President Farole’s official website, Garoweonline, falsely labelled the prominent Somali politician Hon. Asha Abdala as a supporter of extremist groups, after she accused Farole of invading Galgala town, the region of her own constituency.

 

When Hon. Asha exposed the reality behind the attacks of the Galgala town, and the growing insecurity of Puntland, the Farole administration saw that as a slap in the face, and falsely accused the law maker of siding with the wrong side, a political tactic used by successive Puntland administrations to intimidate or stop anyone they see as an outsider or “threat”.