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Somalia: Somaliland is 'Fomenting War,' Says Puntland VP
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Garowe Online (Garowe)
23 March 2008
Posted to the web 24 March 2008
The Vice President of Somalia' s Puntland regional government has said that the neighboring breakaway republic of Somaliland is "fomenting war" by creating new provinces in disputed regions.
Vice President Hassan Dahir Afqura, speaking Sunday at a press conference in the regional capital Garowe, told journalists that Somaliland leader Dahir Riyale must stop interfering in the affairs of Sool and Sanaag, two regions etched between Somaliland and Puntland.
"We will return the refugees that fled Las Anod to their homes soon," the Puntland VP said, referring to thousands of families who fled the capital of Sool region last October after Somaliland troops evicted Puntland security forces.
Yesterday, a communiqué issued by Mr. Riyale's office announced the creation of six new provinces, including two new provinces that redrew the maps of Sool and Sanaag regions.
The two rival Somali sub-states have fought bitterly several times over control of Sool and Sanaag, turning Sool into a virtual war zone since 2002.
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On oil issues, Vice President Afqura said the Puntland administration works closely with the Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu.
He said the TFG must first extend its rule throughout Somalia, but until such time, the government of Puntland has the "legal authority" to abide by its own laws.
Vice President Afqura was answering a question relating to Somali Energy Minister Mohamud Ali Salah's rejection of a Puntland oil law, which has created political uproar inside and outside the region.
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