As citizens in their thousands in both Badaan and Hagaftimo districts protest the killing of a local businessman in Las Qoray
By: Yusuf M Hasan
BADAAN (Somalilandsun) – “Somalilanders residing in the Eastern parts of Sanaag region are completely fed up with political machinations engineered by the Puntland administration in Garowe.
This was the unanimous decision by thousands of citizens in Badaan town during demonstrations in protest against incursions into Somaliland by Puntland forces the latest of which resulted in the brutal killing of a businessman in Las Qoray town.
Speeches culminating the huge demonstration that saw resident burn Puntland flags and the effigy of its president Abdiweli Gas informed the hundreds of protesters that the a large number of sons of East Sanaag formerly serving Garowe have returned home in anger over the Las Qoray killing.
Puntland is an administrative region of Somalia bordering Somaliland to the east and with designs on annexation of east Sanaag and Sool regions under the territorial jurisdiction of the administration in Hargeisa.
According to the Badaan district officer and deputy mayor Awil Mohamed Jama ‘Awsha’ Somaliland citizens in East Sanaag are tired of regular Puntland incursions intent on creating political mischief and insecurity in Somaliland.
Stating that Puntland has turned its ugliness towards civilians after being cowed by the military might of Somaliland following deployments to the border the Badaan mayor warned
“If the Garowe administrations thinks it can entice us, Somaliland citizens towards their clan based politics through civilian killings, be warned that any future incursion be it military or political shall be met with the wrath it deserves”
In the same breath the mayor told the jubilantly defiant and ululating residents of Badaan that eight of their sons formerly serving Puntland in various senior positions have defected and now owe allegiance to their motherland of Somaliland.
Accordingly the official disclosure of the defectors is pending negotiations with the Somaliland government being facilitated by Sanaag regional authorities who are also host to the defectors in Erigavo town.
Similarly in neighbouring Hagaftimo hundreds of demonstrators took the streets of the district capital in protest against the Puntland administration and more so it’s recent killing of a businessman and wounding of others in a botched attempt to kidnap Iranian and local fishermen in Las Qoray.
The Garowe administration was during the anti –Puntland and pro-Somaliland demonstrations warned against further orchestrations of insecurity in Somaliland.
Shouting Down with Puntland and Viva Somaliland the rally supporting action by authorities in Hargeisa against Garowe also warned of civilian action against any future incursions from the administrative region of Somalia.
The ire of east Sanaag region residents, whom according to Puntland’s clannish constitution should be administered by Garowe, came after a platoon of soldiers attempted to abduct Iranian fishermen and their local counterparts in Las Qoray.
During the botched attempt against the foreign fishermen under license from the Somaliland government one lander was killed and four others killed.
In the meantime the massive pro Somaliland stance by residents of East Sanaag whose jurisdictional management is claimed on tribal basis by Puntland comes during a visit to Hargeisa by a broad delegation of elders led by their senior most traditional leader Sultan Saeed Sultan Abdisalam Garad Ali Shire for talks with the government.
Copyright © 2015 Somalilandsun, All rights reserved.
www.somalilandsun.com
