Please read this artical and then you might realise why things fell apart
in puntland.
President Faroole is throwing Puntland Away for the wolves: Only an
Impeachment can save the day!
By Abdikarim H. Abdi Buh
Nov 10, 2009
The author is a political analyst based
in London
Puntland was an oasis of peace and civility for the best part of a decade
and was a model regional administration. It was a popular commercial hub
for the Somali merchants in general which as a consequence paid off a big
dividend –job creation for the local people, investment in properties,
investments in service companies and above all raised the status of the
Puntlander’s in the eyes of the Somalis to a stage that the rest only envy.
It was the norm rather than the exception that merchants from SomaliLand
and Somali Regional State preferred Bossaso Port from Berbera due to the
responsive taxation regime and swift processing of bureaucratic procedures
which I believe compensated for what ever it might have lost to its
geographic location.
Puntland’s development, prosperity and progress in the midst of chaos is a
legendary legacy that can rightly be attributed to the successive
politicians who led Puntland for a decade. The Puntland leaders were known
to follow the centre stage of the volatile Somali politics game and were
also pragmatic when the situation demanded and if they were to err, when
caught off guard, they were famous to err on the prudence side. These
political heavy weights glided Puntland through war, famine and hostile
plots without ever loosing sight of democracy and human rights and were
ultimately rewarded by the Somalis by electing its President at the time,
Mr. A. Yusuf, as the Somali Federal Government President.
The possibility of relocating substantial federal institutions to Puntland
was a very strong possibility that gathered consensus in response to the
stalemate of Mogadishu war. The hosting of federal institutions would have
brought with it a windfall of wealth to the region and by extension a lot
of favourable political handshakes, international aid and many other perks
had president Faroole kept Puntland on the win, win course which sadly now
seems a distant dream.
Mr. Farool’s Puntland: - It is difficult to get off the back of a Tiger
The minimum public expectation from Farool’s regime was to rest under the
cool shade of the tree planted by the previous leaders but uprooting the
tree itself was not on the cards. It appears the trajectory Farool’s
government took will fail Puntland in the very near future if he is not
tackled quickly and with urgency because the security and political
situation is at present akin to that of 2006 Mogadishu ,when the Alliance
of Warlords under the umbrella of counter terrorism were trading the
leading clergy men, Ogadeni people and the likes. The same revolt which
brought the Union of Islamic Courts to power is already in the making in
Puntland and certainly the same fate or even worse is the most likely
outcome.
Hardly a day passes by without an assassination of notable person,
bombardment of government installations, tribal wars, imprisonment of
civilians, harassment of non Majeerteen residents and media shutdowns – the
hallmarks of a failed dictatorial regime is a reality that no one can deny
but all to ponder as to what the future treasures for the Puntland people.
Mr. Farool’s regime showed time and again that it has no respect for the
constitution of Puntland, Islamic brotherhood, Somalism and of course
international human rights. This unforgivable heinous crime meted against
the five Ogadeni youth on the 25th of October attracted the wrath and
condemnations of the Somali nation from within and without save the
international community’s shock. Mr. Faroole who was a refugee himself and
who is a national of Australia must know the sanctity enshrined in the
spirit and letter of the human rights instruments – legal proceedings
against this person are to be filed shortly with the Australian government
and human rights organizations.
The five Ogadeni youth were deported from Yemen and were arrested upon
arrival -See Somali Cartoonist. They were subjected to a severe torture
under the auspices of the Tigreyan chiefs of the PIS( PL’s infamous
terrorist institution) in Boossaso’s Abul Ghraib like prison. Mr. Abdi
Hassan Yusuf was officially handed to the Ethiopian security forces and his
family and relatives are waiting to hear the inevitable. Mr. Abdillahi
Hassan Ali died in his prison cell as a direct result of the torture. The
remaining three detainees, Olad, Bedri and Deeq, are still in prison
without any chance of seeing a judge similar to the fate of their other
friends.
The livestock Minister of Puntland speaking with the press at Boossaaso
animal holding and processing centre welcomed the lift of Saudi ban on
Somali livestock. Mr. Doonyaale distanced himself from the rogue trading
practices employed by some of the livestock merchants in Puntland who are
connected to Mr. Faroole “I don’t want to lie, the practice of telling the
Ogadeni people that they will be paid $80 per head and then reneging the
deal after their animals are brought in Bossaaso is a bad practice. It is
robbery and deceit to offer $40 after you make sure that they can neither
get pasture for their animals nor able to take their anaimals back to
Wardheer and beyond. This practice will chase away the people this port
gets its business from and as a consequence we will loose 97% of projected
revenue to other ports.”
The Puntland elders and notables protested against the draconian policies
of Faroole as this crime against humanity touched the hearts of every one
alike except the Tigreyan security chiefs of the PIS. In the last month
alone more then 15 were abducted from their homes in Galkayo, Garawo and
Bossasso and five were killed and their crime was that they where refugees
from Ogaden(Somali Regional State of Ethiopia) . Can anyone make sense out
of arresting 160 people, men and women, in one go just because they are
Ogadeni- four of the inmates delivered babies while in custody.
Chief Abdiassis Yusuf Mohamud (Af Guduud) gave VOA an interview in relation
to this human rights abuses and was instantly put Behind bars. Chief
Abdulkadir Iise , who went underground, was among the chiefs who condemned
the barbaric acts of Farool’s government . It is worth to mention that the
Diaspora from Puntland unequivocally condemned the inhuman conduct of
president Faroole and the most interesting and timely was the Nairobi one
which coincided with his arrival today. See Warqad Furan
On the 31st of October Chief Mohamed Ali Gacal was killed in his home by
unknown gun men. The chief was well known figure, a resident in the north
of Galkayo for more then thirty years although he hails from Hiiraan .
Chief Abdulaahi Isaaq Baabul Kabiir, from digil & Mirifle, was also
assassinated a week earlier in the North of Gaalkayo. On the 3RD of
November six of the leading clergy men of Puntland were sentenced to jail
terms between 10 and 15 years without a convincing prove of any wrong
doing. They were alleged to have been sympathizers to Al Shabab and were
refused access to lawyers to defend their case. Their names are as
follows:-
1.Sheikh Ali Ahmed Hassan “Ali Gacamey”
2.Deeq Yaasin Khalif
3.Ahmed Abdirazaq Maxamed
4.Ibrahim Mohamed Shire
5.Sheikh Mahamud Samatar Mohamud
The celebrated peace deal signed in 1993 by the late Gen. M, Aiddeed and
Col. A, Yusuf which ended the civil war in Galkayo is now in tatters. The
darling of Mr. Faroole, Mayor of North Galkayo, is to be blamed for
starting the battle that resulted the death of 29 people and an injury of
70 more – the highest casualty recorded in Galkayo since 1993. The people
in the south and the north of Gaalkayo are worried about the imminent
possibility that the dark scenes of 1993 which they shelved is about to
come back to life because of the confused leadership of Mr. Farool’s
regime.
The notorious PIS( PL terrorist institution) are terribly secretive and
ruthless as its members are paid for by the Tigreyan Intelligence agency.
They are only accountable to their Tigrey chiefs as the same chiefs are
powerful enough to dictate to President Faroole himself - members of the
public dread to talk about the Tigrey officers though their addresses are
known. It is the culture of this institution to assassinate any officer who
resigns from them and the latest casualty was Mr. Jama Siibato who was
assassinated on 6th of November in Bossaso. He resigned from the PIS due
to pressure from his tribe and was earning his living through trade. He was
assassinated in the centre of Bossaaso in the evening on his way home. Find
bellow the names of assassinated Ex PIS officers including their respective
clans - non-commissioned officers and privates are excluded:-
1.Abdi Rashiid Laangare (Reer Bicid Yahan Majeerten)
2.Ali Jiis (Siwaakhron Majeerten)
3.Khaliif Uur Guf (Reer waa Rag Majeerten)
4.Jama Mohamed (Omar Maxamuud Majeerten)
5.Jamac Siibato (Ali saleeban Majeerten) The latest casualty.
The refugees from Southern Somalia and the Sool and Sanaag people in
Puntland are under consistent harassment as they are blamed for every thing
that goes wrong – insecurity, unemployment, espionage and etc. when ever a
bomb goes off the police rounds up members from these residents and put
them behind bars and made them buy their freedom at a price they can hardly
afford. The Oromos killings and tortures hardly make news but they are
treated no better or worse than the Ogadeenis.
Mate zenawi Is my mentor; if he went away with millions then I can go
scotch free with my thousands.
Media is his enemy number one and the president tried his best to silence
all forms of media including the international ones such as the BBC and VOA
by arresting their correspondents and switching off their FM relay stations
see Bashir Goth. A lot of media centres were closed while others were made
against their wishes to work as government mouth pieces.
Horseed Media, SBC, Radio Garowe, Daljir and ETN are the ones who lost
their impartiality at least for the time being.
The irony is that the pirates, human traffickers, drug dealers and other
misfits are roaming the streets of Puntland often armed to the teeth and
yet only the merchants, clergy, journalists and other law abiding citizens
are 90% of the prison population in Puntland. At the time of this writing a
bomb went off at the gate of Boossaso port and the casualty is yet to come
to light, another bomb went off in the South of Galkayo where General
Qaybdiid was hosting a meeting killing six people and finally chief
Abdiasiis Mohamoud Yusuf was sentenced to six month in prison for
criticising Mr. Farool’s human rights violations.
The catalogue of disasters and crimes against humanity perpetuated by Mr.
Faroole is beyond the scope of this paper but my intent is to highlight the
political situation of Puntland in light of the events that took place in
the last two weeks. I am sure one can feel the political pulse of Puntland
and can visualise it’s destiny by reading through and between the lines of
the pattern of events I scraped from the tip of President Farool’s
melancholic iceberg.
Conclusions: To the suffering, a day passes like a year
President Faroole let down his electorate in every venue and proved that he
is an expensive liability that Puntland can hardly afford to shoulder one
more month. The guy demonstrated that he lacks maturity, self confidence,
relevant political experience and above all leadership.
I think it’s an insult to the Somali nation that an Australian (Faroole)
takes an expert role to tell them who is Somali and who is non Somali. Even
if we take his daft opinion that the Ogadenis are not Somalis; the human
rights laws, Islamic jurisprudence and Puntland Constitution won’t condone
the Killing, torturing and delivering of refugees. See Press Release .
Mr. Faroole has succeeded in preparing the ground works- Galkayo, Garowe,
Qardho and Bossaaso are in crises- for a revolution to erupt in Puntland as
his government choose to travel the dead end road of 2006 Mogadishu
warlords era. The multimillion dollar question is what kind of Islamists
would take over? Al Shabab is more likely as they proved to thrive in chaos
or may be a more potent strain is lurking in the shadows.
The time has come for the Somali Diaspora to join hands to bring this man
to justice to set a precedence to serve as deterrent for future blood
thirsty politicians – my email is open for volunteers.
Recommendations: Every Village has its fool
The Puntland electorate must act quickly to save the region from falling
into mayhem because in politics the most important scenes depend on the
character of one man- the leader. There is no shortage of upright and kind
leaders in Puntland who can keep the region as a going entity through
kindness – kindness is a language the deaf can hear and the blind can read.
Abdikarim H. Abdi Buh
Email: abdikarimbuh@yahoo.com
WardheerNews Contributor
Please read this artical and then you might realise why things fell apart in puntland.
President Faroole is throwing Puntland Away for the wolves: Only an Impeachment can save the day! By Abdikarim H. Abdi Buh Nov 10, 2009 The author is a political analyst based in London
Puntland was an oasis of peace and civility for the best part of a decade and was a model regional administration. It was a popular commercial hub for the Somali merchants in general which as a consequence paid off a big dividend –job creation for the local people, investment in properties, investments in service companies and above all raised the status of the Puntlander’s in the eyes of the Somalis to a stage that the rest only envy. It was the norm rather than the exception that merchants from SomaliLand and Somali Regional State preferred Bossaso Port from Berbera due to the responsive taxation regime and swift processing of bureaucratic procedures which I believe compensated for what ever it might have lost to its geographic location.
Puntland’s development, prosperity and progress in the midst of chaos is a legendary legacy that can rightly be attributed to the successive politicians who led Puntland for a decade. The Puntland leaders were known to follow the centre stage of the volatile Somali politics game and were also pragmatic when the situation demanded and if they were to err, when caught off guard, they were famous to err on the prudence side. These political heavy weights glided Puntland through war, famine and hostile plots without ever loosing sight of democracy and human rights and were ultimately rewarded by the Somalis by electing its President at the time, Mr. A. Yusuf, as the Somali Federal Government President.
The possibility of relocating substantial federal institutions to Puntland was a very strong possibility that gathered consensus in response to the stalemate of Mogadishu war. The hosting of federal institutions would have brought with it a windfall of wealth to the region and by extension a lot of favourable political handshakes, international aid and many other perks had president Faroole kept Puntland on the win, win course which sadly now seems a distant dream.
Mr. Farool’s Puntland: - It is difficult to get off the back of a Tiger
The minimum public expectation from Farool’s regime was to rest under the cool shade of the tree planted by the previous leaders but uprooting the tree itself was not on the cards. It appears the trajectory Farool’s government took will fail Puntland in the very near future if he is not tackled quickly and with urgency because the security and political situation is at present akin to that of 2006 Mogadishu ,when the Alliance of Warlords under the umbrella of counter terrorism were trading the leading clergy men, Ogadeni people and the likes. The same revolt which brought the Union of Islamic Courts to power is already in the making in Puntland and certainly the same fate or even worse is the most likely outcome.
Hardly a day passes by without an assassination of notable person, bombardment of government installations, tribal wars, imprisonment of civilians, harassment of non Majeerteen residents and media shutdowns – the hallmarks of a failed dictatorial regime is a reality that no one can deny but all to ponder as to what the future treasures for the Puntland people.
Mr. Farool’s regime showed time and again that it has no respect for the constitution of Puntland, Islamic brotherhood, Somalism and of course international human rights. This unforgivable heinous crime meted against the five Ogadeni youth on the 25th of October attracted the wrath and condemnations of the Somali nation from within and without save the international community’s shock. Mr. Faroole who was a refugee himself and who is a national of Australia must know the sanctity enshrined in the spirit and letter of the human rights instruments – legal proceedings against this person are to be filed shortly with the Australian government and human rights organizations.
The five Ogadeni youth were deported from Yemen and were arrested upon arrival -See Somali Cartoonist. They were subjected to a severe torture under the auspices of the Tigreyan chiefs of the PIS( PL’s infamous terrorist institution) in Boossaso’s Abul Ghraib like prison. Mr. Abdi Hassan Yusuf was officially handed to the Ethiopian security forces and his family and relatives are waiting to hear the inevitable. Mr. Abdillahi Hassan Ali died in his prison cell as a direct result of the torture. The remaining three detainees, Olad, Bedri and Deeq, are still in prison without any chance of seeing a judge similar to the fate of their other friends.
The livestock Minister of Puntland speaking with the press at Boossaaso animal holding and processing centre welcomed the lift of Saudi ban on Somali livestock. Mr. Doonyaale distanced himself from the rogue trading practices employed by some of the livestock merchants in Puntland who are connected to Mr. Faroole “I don’t want to lie, the practice of telling the Ogadeni people that they will be paid $80 per head and then reneging the deal after their animals are brought in Bossaaso is a bad practice. It is robbery and deceit to offer $40 after you make sure that they can neither get pasture for their animals nor able to take their anaimals back to Wardheer and beyond. This practice will chase away the people this port gets its business from and as a consequence we will loose 97% of projected revenue to other ports.”
The Puntland elders and notables protested against the draconian policies of Faroole as this crime against humanity touched the hearts of every one alike except the Tigreyan security chiefs of the PIS. In the last month alone more then 15 were abducted from their homes in Galkayo, Garawo and Bossasso and five were killed and their crime was that they where refugees from Ogaden(Somali Regional State of Ethiopia) . Can anyone make sense out of arresting 160 people, men and women, in one go just because they are Ogadeni- four of the inmates delivered babies while in custody.
Chief Abdiassis Yusuf Mohamud (Af Guduud) gave VOA an interview in relation to this human rights abuses and was instantly put Behind bars. Chief Abdulkadir Iise , who went underground, was among the chiefs who condemned the barbaric acts of Farool’s government . It is worth to mention that the Diaspora from Puntland unequivocally condemned the inhuman conduct of president Faroole and the most interesting and timely was the Nairobi one which coincided with his arrival today. See Warqad Furan
On the 31st of October Chief Mohamed Ali Gacal was killed in his home by unknown gun men. The chief was well known figure, a resident in the north of Galkayo for more then thirty years although he hails from Hiiraan . Chief Abdulaahi Isaaq Baabul Kabiir, from digil & Mirifle, was also assassinated a week earlier in the North of Gaalkayo. On the 3RD of November six of the leading clergy men of Puntland were sentenced to jail terms between 10 and 15 years without a convincing prove of any wrong doing. They were alleged to have been sympathizers to Al Shabab and were refused access to lawyers to defend their case. Their names are as follows:-
1.Sheikh Ali Ahmed Hassan “Ali Gacamey” 2.Deeq Yaasin Khalif 3.Ahmed Abdirazaq Maxamed 4.Ibrahim Mohamed Shire 5.Sheikh Mahamud Samatar Mohamud The celebrated peace deal signed in 1993 by the late Gen. M, Aiddeed and Col. A, Yusuf which ended the civil war in Galkayo is now in tatters. The darling of Mr. Faroole, Mayor of North Galkayo, is to be blamed for starting the battle that resulted the death of 29 people and an injury of 70 more – the highest casualty recorded in Galkayo since 1993. The people in the south and the north of Gaalkayo are worried about the imminent possibility that the dark scenes of 1993 which they shelved is about to come back to life because of the confused leadership of Mr. Farool’s regime.
The notorious PIS( PL terrorist institution) are terribly secretive and ruthless as its members are paid for by the Tigreyan Intelligence agency. They are only accountable to their Tigrey chiefs as the same chiefs are powerful enough to dictate to President Faroole himself - members of the public dread to talk about the Tigrey officers though their addresses are known. It is the culture of this institution to assassinate any officer who resigns from them and the latest casualty was Mr. Jama Siibato who was assassinated on 6th of November in Bossaso. He resigned from the PIS due to pressure from his tribe and was earning his living through trade. He was assassinated in the centre of Bossaaso in the evening on his way home. Find bellow the names of assassinated Ex PIS officers including their respective clans - non-commissioned officers and privates are excluded:-
1.Abdi Rashiid Laangare (Reer Bicid Yahan Majeerten) 2.Ali Jiis (Siwaakhron Majeerten) 3.Khaliif Uur Guf (Reer waa Rag Majeerten) 4.Jama Mohamed (Omar Maxamuud Majeerten) 5.Jamac Siibato (Ali saleeban Majeerten) The latest casualty. The refugees from Southern Somalia and the Sool and Sanaag people in Puntland are under consistent harassment as they are blamed for every thing that goes wrong – insecurity, unemployment, espionage and etc. when ever a bomb goes off the police rounds up members from these residents and put them behind bars and made them buy their freedom at a price they can hardly afford. The Oromos killings and tortures hardly make news but they are treated no better or worse than the Ogadeenis.
Mate zenawi Is my mentor; if he went away with millions then I can go scotch free with my thousands.
Media is his enemy number one and the president tried his best to silence all forms of media including the international ones such as the BBC and VOA by arresting their correspondents and switching off their FM relay stations see Bashir Goth. A lot of media centres were closed while others were made against their wishes to work as government mouth pieces.
Horseed Media, SBC, Radio Garowe, Daljir and ETN are the ones who lost their impartiality at least for the time being.
The irony is that the pirates, human traffickers, drug dealers and other misfits are roaming the streets of Puntland often armed to the teeth and yet only the merchants, clergy, journalists and other law abiding citizens are 90% of the prison population in Puntland. At the time of this writing a bomb went off at the gate of Boossaso port and the casualty is yet to come to light, another bomb went off in the South of Galkayo where General Qaybdiid was hosting a meeting killing six people and finally chief Abdiasiis Mohamoud Yusuf was sentenced to six month in prison for criticising Mr. Farool’s human rights violations.
The catalogue of disasters and crimes against humanity perpetuated by Mr. Faroole is beyond the scope of this paper but my intent is to highlight the political situation of Puntland in light of the events that took place in the last two weeks. I am sure one can feel the political pulse of Puntland and can visualise it’s destiny by reading through and between the lines of the pattern of events I scraped from the tip of President Farool’s melancholic iceberg.
Conclusions: To the suffering, a day passes like a year
President Faroole let down his electorate in every venue and proved that he is an expensive liability that Puntland can hardly afford to shoulder one more month. The guy demonstrated that he lacks maturity, self confidence, relevant political experience and above all leadership. I think it’s an insult to the Somali nation that an Australian (Faroole) takes an expert role to tell them who is Somali and who is non Somali. Even if we take his daft opinion that the Ogadenis are not Somalis; the human rights laws, Islamic jurisprudence and Puntland Constitution won’t condone the Killing, torturing and delivering of refugees. See Press Release .
Mr. Faroole has succeeded in preparing the ground works- Galkayo, Garowe, Qardho and Bossaaso are in crises- for a revolution to erupt in Puntland as his government choose to travel the dead end road of 2006 Mogadishu warlords era. The multimillion dollar question is what kind of Islamists would take over? Al Shabab is more likely as they proved to thrive in chaos or may be a more potent strain is lurking in the shadows.
The time has come for the Somali Diaspora to join hands to bring this man to justice to set a precedence to serve as deterrent for future blood thirsty politicians – my email is open for volunteers.
Recommendations: Every Village has its fool
The Puntland electorate must act quickly to save the region from falling into mayhem because in politics the most important scenes depend on the character of one man- the leader. There is no shortage of upright and kind leaders in Puntland who can keep the region as a going entity through kindness – kindness is a language the deaf can hear and the blind can read.
Abdikarim H. Abdi Buh Email: abdikarimbuh@yahoo.com WardheerNews Contributor