Somalia: Puntland leader arrests clan elder for opposing exploration

BOSSASO, Somalia Mar 7 (Garowe Online) - A clan elder in northern Somalia's Puntland region was arrested Friday on the orders of regional President Adde Muse, Garowe Online has learnt.

Abdi Farah, an elder belonging to the Warsangeli clan, was detained by Puntland security forces from his home in the port city of Bossaso, clan elders said confidentially.

A group of clan elders from Bari region, where Bossaso is located, met with Puntland Security Minister Abdullahi Said Samatar to negotiate for Mr. Farah's release.

But Minister Samatar informed the traditional elders that Farah was arrested on the orders of President Muse and that Samatar "cannot do anything about it," sources at the meeting said.

The security minister also told the elders he met with that Mr. Farah was arrested in connection with a Warsangeli clan uprising in March 2006, when Puntland troops and foreign geologists collecting mineral samples were attacked in Majihaan village by Warsangeli clan fighters.

The ensuing violence, which lasted until April, killed at least 10 people and wounded scores, eventually forcing the Puntland government and its foreign partner to suspend operations there.
The Puntland government now suspects that Mr. Farah is leading a campaign to discredit the 2005 exploration deal President Muse signed with Australia-based Range Resources, Ltd.
In related news, Warsangeli gunmen angered by Farah's arrest exchanged gunfire with Puntland police in the town of Laag, roughly 20km west of Bossaso, sources said.

The government dispatched additional security forces to Laag as discussions continued in Bossaso to calm down the situation and negotiate Farah's release.

Muse has made it the highlight of his political career to implement the Puntland-Range deal, even though many in Somalia fear Majihaan-type armed resistance.

Locals oppose the Puntland-Range deal on grounds that Muse did not consult local clans and the legal fact that the Puntland leader lacks the constitutional authority to sell chunks of Somali territory to foreign firms.

Last month, the Muse government presented a revised Puntland Constitution that includes a clause stating that Puntland has the right to sign deals with foreign companies.

The new Constitution has not been introduced for debate in the Puntland Parliament.
Source: Garowe Online

Opinion: What Is The Right Way Forward For Somaliland?

Because of my writings, I get lots of electronic mail from Somalis and foreign friends which I acknowledge here my profound appreciation.

Most of them carry good and positive sentiments. Needless to say, from time to time, I also receive hate mail. Anyone who deals with people or issues which concerns people will no doubt confront bitter reaction. That is the nature of things. Even the prophets used to encounter some resentment.

I would like to share here one such reaction. A clannish individual who resented my love for our people in Somaliland has, not long ago, sent me an email entitled: Mind your business! It was a rant warning me to stay away from the affairs of the North. This is ironic.

It is like telling an Englishman from Devon that the English in Cornwall was none of his business. We cannot be Somalis if the affairs of Somalis are not our business. The people in Somaliland are Somalis and the land they inhabit is the land of Somalis (Somaliland). For that simple reason, Somaliland is my business.

Click Link below to read more:

http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Opinion_20/What_Is_The_Right_Way_Forward_For_Somaliland.shtml

LETTERS: Why the instability in Somalia should be concern for Kenya

Last week’s US military strikes on a Somalia town close to the Kenya border have worked to once again spotlight how hardships in Somalia continue to affect Kenya.

Throughout the 16 years that Somalia has been without an effective government, Kenya has had to establish new security guidelines for its neighbour and the border that separates them.

Click link below to read:

http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=23&newsid=118677

Somalia's security nightmare: nothing is that simple in Somalia.

By Mark Doyle BBC News, near Mogadishu

The road in Somalia from the edge of Mogadishu to the town of Afgooye, some 30km (19 miles) to the north-west, is a seemingly unending vista of grim camps for displaced people.

They have fled the fighting in the capital between government forces and a combination of Islamist insurgents and clan opponents of the regime.
Family after family is crammed into tiny shelters made of bent twigs and scraps of cloth.
I saw evidence of a few aid agencies, local and international, giving assistance.

CLick link below to read more:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7281539.stm

Djibouti votes amid opposition boycott

DJIBOUTI (AFP) — The poor but strategically important Red Sea state of Djibouti held a parliamentary election Friday with opposition parties boycotting the poll assailing it as undemocratic.

Only 65 candidates from a coalition loyal to President Ismael Omar Guelleh are running for the 65 seats in the legislature, and many voters have not bothered to register.

The boycott by the three main opposition parties follows a similar protest in the 2005 presidential vote in which Guelleh, in power since 1999, ran unchallenged.

Click the below linkc to read the rest of the article: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jK55wyuAzZmQxGfQJkdild3HuzUw

Uganda short of money to boost Somalia force

By Francis Kwera

KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda cannot fulfil its offer to completely take over the peacekeeping mission in Somalia because nobody has come up with the money, the defence minister said on Friday.

Uganda was the first of two countries to deploy soldiers as part of an African Union mission to Somalia, torn by fighting between the interim government and Islamist insurgents.

The African Union is supposed to pay for the force, but depends on funding from members and is short of cash. Uganda has said it could supply all 8,000 troops needed if the force is given a U.N. mandate, which would let Uganda tap a bigger pool of funding, but that has not yet happened.
"We are ready to start deployments in Somalia but we have a funding problem," Ugandan Defence Minister Crispus Kiyonga said in an interview with Reuters. "There is no money to transport and maintain peacekeeping troops in Somalia as promised."

The insurgency in Somalia has killed at least 6,500 people and forced some 600,000 to flee the capital, Mogadishu.

Uganda was the first African country to deploy peacekeepers in Somalia early last year, followed by Burundi. Burundi has sent around 600 troops, while Uganda has about 1,600 in place.

Malawi, Nigeria, Mozambique and Ghana withdrew their troop pledges, citing security reasons.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni met U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in January on the sidelines of an African Union summit in Ethiopia, where Ban expressed concern that few African countries had fulfilled pledges to contribute to the force.

Ban is due to issue a report on peacekeeping prospects in Somalia on Monday.
The insurgency in Mogadishu is led by remnants of a hardline Islamist group driven from power a year ago in a lightning offensive by Somalia's interim government and its Ethiopian military backers.

Somali Islamist Fighters Seize 2nd Town

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Islamist insurgents killed five government soldiers while briefly taking a strategic town in central Somalia, police and residents said, the second such seizure within 24 hours.

The attack late Thursday took place in Belet Weyne, near a critical road junction that links Somalia to the border with Ethiopia. Hundreds of troops are stationed at the junction, which is also Ethiopia's main supply route.

"They launched a surprise attack on the town from different directions, facing pockets of resistance from government forces and immediately took the control of the police station, the prison and a hotel government regional officials were using," said a police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

The town's police chief, Col. Abdi Aden, confirmed that five government soldiers had been killed.
Local resident Duniyo Ali said the fighters had retained control of the town for about three hours before voluntarily withdrawing. The area was now calm, she said.

Also Thursday, residents said Islamists had seized Hudur, a strategic southwestern Somali town that lies along the road leading from Ethiopia into Somalia, without firing a shot.

Islamist fighters have vowed to wage an Iraq-style war on the shaky Western-backed transitional government after Somali troops supported by their Ethiopian allies chased the Islamists from power in December 2006.

The Islamists had seized control of much of the south and the country's capital, Mogadishu, which they had held for six months.

Since the Islamists launched their insurgency, thousands of Somalis have been killed. Somali government troops and officials come under daily attack and the U.N.-backed administration is viewed by many Somalis as corrupt and ineffective. The impoverished country is riven between warring clans and awash with weapons.

The U.S. has linked the militiamen to al-Qaida. On Monday, the U.S. launched a missile strike in a Somali town along the Kenyan border, targeting a suspect in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.

SOMALILAND: ISBEDDEL CULUS OO KU SOO FOOL LEH: QAYBTII 3 AAD

Mr. Buubaa oo la filayo inuu la wareego hoggaanka xisbiga UCID, suurta gal ma tahay, maxaa ka jira?
Dhallin mawjad ah oo ku qulqulaya siyaassadda Somaliland. Doonista mayorka Hargeysa iyo magaalooyinka kale ee Somaliland oo lagu batay. Xisbiga Kulmiye oo weli faro maroorsi iyo xodxodasho jiq isku ah.
Rayaale oo xiddiggiisu sarcanayahay calanka aqoonsigana dadka hor lulaya kuna xuuxinaya. Guddida Doorashada Qaranka oo tiradii dadka la il daran. Iyo weliba danaha Maraykanka ee Somaliland.
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Qaybtii 3aad

Xisbiga Kulmiye oo weli faro maroorsi iyo xodxodasho jiq isku ah.

Fikir Xorta ah -Sida laga warqabo xisbiga mucaaradka ee Somaliland ee Kulmiye ayaa u diyaar garoobaya inuu qabsado shirweynihii ay ku dooran lahaayeen madaxda tartanka doorashada madaxweyne iyo ku xigeenkisa uga qaybgeli doonta.

Waxa soo jiitamay oo illaa muddo sanad ah dib u dhacay goortii iyo habkii shirk aloo qaban lahaa. Taasoo ay ugu wacnayd hawlo badan oo ay ka mid tahay is maandhaafka awood qaybsiga xisbiga dhexdiisa.

Waxa arrinta murgiyay waa habka dimoqradiyadda isku dhafan ee ay Somaliland qaadatay inay isku maamusho. Habkan oo ah mid isu keenay dimoqradiyadda reer galbeedka iyo wadaagga beelaha am aardaayada oo la isu miisaamo.

Habkan oo aanu u bixinay, “Dimoqraadiyadda Dhaqamaysan” halka ay reer galbeedku ugu yeedhaan “Hybrid Democratic System”, ayaa kellifay in uu warer keeno.

Waxay siyaasiyiinta qaarkood aaminsan yihiin inay arrin beeleed ku mcaashayaan, halka ay kuwo kale ku qanacsan yihiin inay cod dheeri wax ku helayaan.

Si kastaba ha ahaatee fara maroojis, is jiidasho, kala xanaaq, iyo isu soo noqosho dabadeed waxa Xisbiga Kulmiye ugu dambayntii laga yaabaa inuu bishan Marso dhammadkeeda uu shir u qabsoomo.

Dad badan baa qaba in xisbigu iska lumiyay wakhti badan oo ay olole qaran ku geli lahaayeen. Nin lagu magacaabo Yasin Cabdilahi Ahmed oo ka mid ahaa dadka fikraddooda website yada ka dhiibtay ayaa isagoo afka ingiisiga ku qoray ku sheegay, “In ay wax waliba ku xidhnaan doonaan sida ay 500 ee xubnaha shirku ay u doortaan su’aasha cakiran ee ah sida hoggaanka fulinta iyo golaha dhexe loo dooranayo”.

Waan midda in badan hortaagnayd horumarka xisbiga sidii awoodda golaha dhexe, fulinta ama musharaxiinta loogu qoondayn lahaa beelaha kala duwan ee reer Somaliland. Iyadoo la eegayo saamaynta uu go’aan waliba ku yeelan karo mustaqbalka dadka iyo dalka.

Haddaba taagerayaasha xisbiga oo aanu wax k aweydiinay ayaa iyagoo ku kalsoon sheegay in rajada isku duubnida Kulmiye uu manta meel fiican marayo shirkuna qabsomi doona.

Hase yeeshee dhinaca ka soo hojeeda oo isbadiya in aan hoggaankoodu madmadow lahayn ku murmayaan in Kulmiye uu lug halis ah ku taagan yahay iska horimaadna ka dhici karo.

Si kastaba ha ahaatee waxanu sugnaa waa qabashada shirweyanaha Xisbiga Kulmiye ee la rajaynayo inuu dhaco bishan dhamaadkeeda.

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Qaybtii 2aad

Dhallinta mawjad ah oo ku qulqulaya siyaasadda Somaliland. Doonista Mayorka Hargeysa iyo magaalooyinka kale ee Somaliland lagu batay.

Fikirka Xorta ah - Waxa soo kordhaya dhallinta dibadda ku nool ee ku hamiyaysa inay siyaasadda dalka iyo hoggaanka Somaliland ka qayb qaataan. Waxa dhawaan dhici doona doorashada golaha degaanka iyo ta madaxweynaha. Waxana dadka inta badan doonayaan inay ka qayb galaan golaha degaanka caasimadda iyo magaalooyinka kale ee muhiimka ah ee dalka.

Dhallintan oo u badan jiilka iyagoo dhallin yaro ah oo uu dagaalkii ku dhacay iyagoon aan weli bilaabin shaqooyin muhiim ah amaba aan dhammaysan waxbarashadii sare ee ay ku jireen.Waxay leeyihiin damac dheer oo wax hor istaagayaa aanay arkayn.

Hammigan oo ay horseed ka tahay waayo aragnimada ay ka barteen dalalka dibadda ee ay ku noolaayeen intii la soo qaxay. Iyagoo wax ka bartay, ka shaqaystay, kana helay waayo aragnimo dhinacyo badan taabanaya.

Qaarkood waxay nasiib u yeesheen inay ganacsi galaan oo dhaqaale uruursi ay helaan. Taasoo kordhisay damaca siyaasadeed ee ay leeyihiin.

Dhallintan oo rag u badan oo aanay qof dumar ahi illaa hadda ku jirin ama soo shaac bixin, marka laga reebo Khadija X. Bandare oo iyadu dalka ku nool damacsanna sida lagu soo waramayo inay ka qayb qaadato tartanka Mayorka caasimadda, ayaa la filayaa inay dhiggooda siyaasiyiinta gudaha dalka ku nool iska horimaad ka dhaco.

Tusaale ahaan, waxa wararku sheegayaan inay illaa 8 ama 9 musharrax hoosta uga diyaar garoobayaan oloohooda ku aaddan siday u hanan lahaayeen jagada Duqa Caasimadda ee Hargeysa.

Haddaba faraqa labadan kooxood ee qaar dibadda ka soo duuleen kuwana u haysta inay "u soo cabbeen ---" oo ay xaq u leeyihiin inay siyaadda majaraha u hayaan sidee la isugu soo dhawayn karaa?

Fadlan rayigaaga noo soo dir.
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Qaybtii 1aad

Ismaaciil Buubaa:

Fikirka Xorta ah - Runtii way adagtahay in si fudud loo garto in cidina diyaar u tahay. Iyadooy ugu wacan tahay in markooda hore aanay jirin siyaasad is raacsan ama hoggaan uu wada tashi ka dhexeeyo.

Madaxweyne Rayale iyo dawladdiisu waxay ku qanacsan yihiin in la doortay isla markaana aanay cid kale la wadaagin maamulka dalka. Waxay illaabeen in kalsoonida shacabku uu badh siiyay mucaaridka oo ay talada iyo mustaqbalka dalka wax ku leeyihiin.

Waxay dawladdu iska indha tirtaa in ay xisbiyada ama haydaha tiirarka u ah siyaasaddu yahay wada xaajood ka dhexeeya xisbiyada iyo hoggaankooda. Mucaaridku waxay ku hungoobeen inay qiimeeyaan ama ixtiraam iyo sharaf siiyaan magaca dawladnimo. Waxay ku ceeboobeen in ay xafiiska madaxweynaha oo laga yaabo inay berri ku fadhiistaan la ciseeyo.

Waxana halka ay dawladda iyo siyaasadeeda dhaleecayn u soo jeedin lahaayeen ay kaga dhegtay shakhsi yasid, magic ugu yeedhid iyo aflagaaddo. Tusaale ahaan halkii laga hadli laha hawlaha ay dawladdu ku khasaartay in la yidhaa, "Ina Rayaale” ayaa sidan iyo sidaas ah.

Taasi waxay keentay in hayadihii dalka ee xisbiyadu ka midka ahaayeen baylah noqdaan. Waana ta maanta keliftay in xisbiyada dalka ee saddexda ah ee dastuurku qorayo noqdaan kuwo magac uun u taagan. Waxana dhacda in mararka qaarkood ay qabiilo gaar ahi sheegtaan. Ama waxad maqlaysaa, “xisbigaa reer hebel baa iska leh”. Akhriste marna ma isweydiisay sababta saddex xisbi loogu soo koobay siyaasadda dalka?

Waa in laga ilaaliyo qabyaalad oo ay noqdaan hayado dastuuri ah oo u dhexeeya dhammaan muwaadin kasta oo raaca mabaadiida kay jeclaadaan. Iyadoo aan loo diidi Karin inay ku tartamaan kana mid noqdaan madaxda xisbiga ay doortaan. Waxay markaa ku siinaysaa in aan cidna xisbi gaar ah sheegan Karin. Qofkii sheegtaana uu xaaraan yahay. Muwaadin kastaana uu sharci ahaan kula doodi karo shakhsigii ka xigsada.

Haddaba oggolaanshaha muwaadin kasta oo u dhashay isagoo ka faa’idaysanaya ayaa waxa beryahan soo baxaya warar tibaaxaya in Ismaaciil Buubaa oo ah siyaasi ka soo jeeda Somaliland hase yeeshee raacsan fikradda Somaliya uu danaynayo inuu siyaasadda Somaliland ku soo biro xilligan.

Lama hubo sababta dhabta ah welina muu shaacin, laakiin wararka sirdoonku waxay soo sheegayaan inuu arkay in ay Muqdishu iyo siyaasadii Somaliya god dheer ku sii socoto, aqoonsiga Somaliland uu dal ahaan goonni isugu taagayana mid maalinba soo kordhaysa u muuqato.

Waraysi uu todoobaadkan siiyay wargeysa Geeska ayaa wuxuu Ismaaciil Buubaa si dadban ugu sheegay in uu aaminsan yahay in Somaliland ay ku socoto dariiqii aqoonsiga. Waxanad mooddaa inuu isu diyaaarinayo sidii uu qayb libaax uga heli lahaa.

Waxa la soo werinayaa oo dad ku dhawdhaw isaga iyo xisbiga mucaaradka ee UCID in ay waanwaan xoog lihi u socoto. Iyadoo lagula taliyay inuu saxaafadda ku faafiyo ammaanta Somaliland. Inuu ka toobbad keeno ka soo horjeedkii goonni isu taagga Somaliland. Inuu hantida faha badan ee uu uruursaday ku mashaqeeyo dadka baahan ee Somaliland ku sugan.

Dabadeedna ka qayb qaato dawladda dambe ee la dhisi doono doorashada dabadeed. Sidoo kale warar aan la hubin ayaa sheegaya in Ismaaciil Buubaa iyo Madaxweyne Dahir Rayaale ay dad isaga dab qaadayaan. Inkastoo aanay weli ku heshiin arrimo dhawr ah oo, haddana waxa lau warramayaa inay aad isugu so dhawaadeen beryahan.

Dadka reer Somaliland waa dad calool furan si fududna wax u cafiya. Waxa ka markhaati ah kumanaanka dambiile ee haddana dalka ku sugan. Iyadoo madaxda dalka qaarkood lagu eedeeyo inay dambiilayaal dagaal yihiin oo xasuuqii si toos ah iyo dad badanba uga qayb qaateen.
Haddaba siyaasadda Somaliland muxuu Ismaaciil buubaa ku soo kordhin karaa? Mar hadduu yahay siyaasi isbeddel badan, ma lagu aamini karaa kursi sir siyaasadeed oo kalsoonida shacabka haysta? Waa su’aal muhiim ah oo u baahan in ay aqoonyahanka seetada dalka wax ku lihi ka doodaan.

Dhinace Kale:

Ismacil Hurre Buubaa waa khabiir ruug caddaa ku ah siyaasadda Somalida oo dhinacyo badan oo heerar badan ka soo maray. Waa aqoonyahan xidhiidh fiican la leh waddamada carabta gaar ahaan dalka Sacuudi Carabiya. Waa siyaasi u dhuun daloola habka sirdoonka ee reer galbeedka oo xidhiidh fiican la leh madax kala duwan. Markaa ma la odhan karaa wuxuu damacsan yahay cidina ma qiyaasi karto?

Jawaabtu waa mid ku xidhan daba galka taariikhdiisa wixii uu soo qabtay. Kolba go'aanada uu gaadhay iyo tallaabooyinka uu qaaday ka hor intaanu ku kicin. Waxa in badan muuqata inuu dadka uu ka dhashay ee reer Somaliland la leeyahay xidhiidh ka wanaagsan ta ay kuwa isaga la fikradda ah e Somaliweyn aminsani ay leeyihiin.

Wuxuu had iyo jeer isku dayaa inuu caawiyo kolba qofkii u yimaadda. Haddana waa nin ku dheer dhaqaale urursiga oo aan shilinna dhaafin. Hase yeeshee quudha oo bixiya marka la soo martiyo. Wuxuu ku caan yahay inuu lacag badan ku khasiro dadka isaga raacsan ama kasbado kuwo cusub. Waxana guryaha uu Nairobi, Kenya ka deggenaa xilligii Dawladda Ku Meel Gaadhka ah ee Col. Cabdullahi Yusuf la dooranayay ku sugnaa kuna noolaa dad aad u badan oo qaxooti ah.

Imaanshaha la saadalinayo inu Somaliland booqdo ama siyaaadeeda ka mid noqdaa waa mid dhicis ah oo aan dhamaystirnayn. Waa in la tixgeliyaa dhammaan arrimo fara badan inta aan meel lagu tilmaamin. Sida ay raadka taariikheed ee uu illaa hadda soo maray ka markhaati yahay, Ismaaciil Buubaa ma damacsana Somaliland oo keliya inuu xukumo ama taladeeda ka qayb qaato. Hase yeeshee waxay u egtahay xarun uu ka duulo oo uu ku meel mariyo damaciisa siyaasadeed ee ah inuu Soomaaliya Ra'iisal Wasaare ka noqdo.

Hammiga iyo damaca Ismaaciil Buubaa waxa si fudud looga dhex arki karaa sida soocan ee uu u doorto jawaabihiisa waraysiyada uu bixiyo oo uu aad u miisaamo. Waxana ugu dambeeyey sida duur xulka ah ee uu ugu jawaabay markii la weydiiyay inuu Somaliland tegayo goorta ku habboon. Waana mid loo fadhiyo lana arki doono siday ku dambayso.

The Cabinet Approves the New Puntland Petroleum and Minerals Law

Bossaso - A Puntland State owned website announced today that : At a cabinet meeting in Bossaso chaired by the President H.E. Mohamud Musse Hersi, the Puntland Cabinet Unanimously approved the new Puntland Petroleum and Minerals Law.

The Minister of Oil and Minerals Hon. Hassan Osman Mohamud (Allore) held a press conference after the meeting. The Minister spoke about the new law and its impact on the State’s nature resources.

The new legislation will now be passed to the Puntland Parliament in the next few days.

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So, what is the meaning of this new petroleum law? How would it impact on Somalia proper's legal obligations for prior agreements with foreign companies? How would the locals react for these on going exploitation of their land? Does "Central Somali Governments"' legislation over ride the one enacted by Puntland?

There is no question about the richness in petroleum and minerals in former Somalia where the most energy hungry countries are watching closely. Ironically, the competing legislations plus clan rivalries have complicated an already volatile situation.

The draft constitution of Puntland estibulates the regional state (Puntland) "owns the right to use the natural resources of the land".

According to Garowe online editorial, the contradiction between Somalia's TFG darft constitution and Puntand's one is clearly evident on article 48 of the Puntland's draft.

The website states, " a clause very favorable to the incumbent administration of President Mohamud "Adde" Muse. According to Article 48, Clause 2 of the Draft Constitution, the Puntland government "is responsible for the protection and exploitation of the natural resources." The following clause says: "The Puntland State may make agreements with national or foreign companies and give them the exploitation of natural resources.""

To read more about the contradiction of the two draft constitutions click the link below:
http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Editorial_29/Somalia_Puntland_s_draft_constitution_contradicts_the_federal_system.shtml

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