As the interior minister reacts to designs by Baligubadle Cllrs against mayor while acknowledging disturbances by armed youth in Borame
By: Yusuf M Hasan
Somalilandsun- Local councils in Somaliland should strictly adhere to directives by the central government as pertains to replacement of sitting mayors.
This was informed by the interior minister Prof Yasin Mahmoud Hiir ‘Faraton’ during an interview with Wargeyska Dawan in Hargeisa where he urged local councils to adhere to an earlier directive from his ministry banning local councils from holding extra-ordinary meetings whose sole objective is disposal of a mayor.
Prof Faraton who was responding to queries on his ministry’s intervention in which members of the Baligubadle local council were stopped from conducting proceedings to dethrone their mayor also acknowledged that a number of youths had disrupted traffic along the Borame-Dilla road following the sacking of a Borame civic leader.
“An earlier ministerial directive banning mayor dethroning extra-ordinary meetings by local councils still stands” said Prof Faraton whose interior ministry oversees local councils in the country.
Stating that ministry utilized the directive to pre-empt the intended move in Baligubadle where council members were in pursuit of dethroning Mayor Abdi Iman Jama, the interior minister said that the process was against the standing orders.
According to the interior ministry directive which minister Faraton used as justification in the Baligubadle mayoral saga, local governments are banned from undertaking activities geared towards dethroning of their mayors until general elections are held.
Additionally the directive though banning the extra-ordinary mayor dethroning sessions further stipulates that councillors can take the move upon satisfying the interior minister on any transgressions by the mayor and or incapability to perform as mandated.
Recently the executive, Political parties and National election commission announced that local council elections shall be held simultaneously with parliamentary ones in October 2018 while extending the presidential ballot from March to October 2017 as a result of severe drought prevalent in lost parts of the country, especially the east.
On the issue of controversy engulfing the Borame local council which ensued with armed youths disrupting traffic between Borame and Hargeisa that saw the youths take over the highway at Dilla town , minister Faraton said,
“Yes such an incident briefly occurred at Dilla town with the situation stabilized security forces by immidialaty”
The disturbances ensued after the youths were angered by the disposal of councilor Mohamed Muhumed Farah ‘Dhereeyste’ as deputy Borame local council mayor and his subsequent detention by police following an arrest warrant issued by the Awdal regional court sitting in Borame.
According to the Awdal regional governor Mustafe Abdi Isse ‘Shine’ the arrest of the deputy Mayor , now disposed, is as a result of treasonable utterances he made in public as pertains relations between Somaliland and neighbouring Ethiopia
