Liibaan Posted January 30, 2012 Somalia Report Interview with Khatumo President Hon. Ahmed Ali Osman Karaash Sunday, January 29, 2012, 23:55 Exclusive, Khatumo Seeks Peace Somalia Report On January 11th , 2012, the new state of Khatumo was formed by leaders of the SSC clan from Sool, Sanaag and Cayn (SSC) regions, who declared their intention to break away from Somaliland and Puntland, which both claim sovereignty over the disputed territory. Somaliland, also a breakaway state in Somalia, has since rejected the decision and sent troops to attack Khatumo bases on Thursday, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 90 Somaliland soldiers. Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in Somalia, also expressed their disappointment with the new state, but has not responded militarily. In an effort to learn more about Khatumo, Somalia Report interviewed its new president Hon. Ahmed Ali Osman Karaash. Thank you for speaking to Somalia Report. You are welcome. Who created this state? The community of these regions as well as Diaspora and local citizens. You are the new president of Khatumo. How do you see this position? I can’t say that I am happy to be in this position because there is a lot of responsibility, but I’m happy to work with my family and towards peace in these regions. We know that there have been a lot of problems in these region. How do you intend to resolve that? Yes, there are more things that need to be resolved. My plan is to create peace and development and we will work with anyone in Somalia who wants peace. How did the people in the Sool, Sanaag and Cayn react to the news of the new state? Honestly I am sure that everyone in these regions are so happy about this announcement because they want peace and their own regional autonomy. We know there is some areas which Khatumo will not handover to Somaliland. How does your government plan to keep control of those areas? Yes, it is true that we want to tell first Somaliland that we need peace and for these regions to be calm. We will ask them to move out of our regions. You know the Somali state are clans so we do not need one clan to control another clan. Recently heavy fighting broke out between Somaliland and the militia which supports your government in Buhodle district of Togdher region. Who started this fight? Everyone knows that Somaliland forces started the fighting. We ask them to stop. We want peace. If Somaliland does not accept peace, do you plan to fight? As I told you, we need peace but if they ignore peace then, yes, we will fight them to get our land and our people. Does your government have military forces and police to face Somaliland or to ensure the security in these areas? Yes, we have police and security forces and we also registering them right now. Do your forces have the ability to defend these regions? Yes, because we have very experienced officials who worked for the Somalia government before the civil and were trained them. How many military forces do have? I do not want to publish that in the media, but I can tell you that we have enough forces. Where does your government expect to get income ? You know, we are we new state and have not started taxing yet, but we will. The Diaspora supports us now. What are the natural resources in these regions? We aware that there are a lot of resources in these regions including oil and livestock. You were Puntland’s former aviation and ports minister. Why did you resign your position and what was the conflict between you and Puntland government? Yes, it is true that I was a minister in Puntland, but after I saw that our regions had no development or rights, I decided to resign that position and work to my family take part in developing these region. You can tell us about Khatumo’s relationship with Puntland? We are neighbors and we are families so our relations are not that bad. If they will work us, we will work with them too. Does the TFG recognize your government? Yes, TFG officials are aware of our meetings and recognize our state. TFG officials did issue a statement that they welcomed this new born state so how do you know? I just told you that they recognized us and are aware about our meetings, but we are waiting for TFG officials to officially welcome us. Do you have any relations with neighboring countries of Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti? Yes, we have reliable relations with all these countries because they know that we respect them and we need them to work us towards peace in the region. What do you expect you can change in Somalia? We are expecting more and we are sure that if the Somali people trust one an other that they can succeed with anything. What is your message to Somali people? My message to Somali people is this: we are brothers and sisters and we also have one religion, one flag, one country. We are one people so we need to work towards peace to ensure the stability of the country. We know that if we trust each other and have patience, we can succeed and everyone can live comfortably. I also want to tell also Somalis to support our country Thanks, Mr. President, for your interview. You are welcome. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MoonLight1 Posted January 30, 2012 This guy look and sounds like a stand up comedian. Xaglatoosiye would've been ideal for these war times. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Liibaan Posted January 30, 2012 Hon. Ahmed Karaash, President of Khaatumo State of Somalia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Liibaan Posted January 30, 2012 Hon. Ahmed XaglaToosiye, Former President of SSC/Khaatumo State of Somalia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
