“We should treat the defectors humanely thence entice others to follow suit” Deputy Speaker of the Somaliland parliament Bashe M Farah
By Yusuf M Hasan
Somalilandsun- An estimated company sized contingent of troops from Puntland have decamped to the republic of Somaliland.
The defectors whose bulk is currently camped at the Hengalool district headquarters in Sanaag region are led by Colonel Ahmed Saeed Mohamed aka Ahmed Gegoroor who left his troops their while he proceeded for meetings with Somalilamd officIals in Erigavo town.
The colonel who spearheaded the defection is the designated commander of security for the allegedly Sanaag region region of Puntland, a Somalia administrative region to the east of Somaliland.
While reasons behind the defection by such a heavily armed and large contingent of soldiers from Puntland is yet to be divulged, Col Ahmed Gegoror is headed for the capital Hargeisa under the charge of Sanaag regional governor Ahmed Abdi Jama ‘Falay’ and his police commander presumably for discussions with Somaliland officials.
In the meantime the deputy speaker of parliament Bashe Mohamed Farah has urged Somaliland authorities and citizens to accommodate the defectors humanely thence entice others of their ilk to follow suit.
Since Abdilahi Gaas ascended to the presidency in Garowe defections to Somaliland and strikes by his troops is in the increase latest being the recent funny incident in which the driver of his Vice President Abdihakin Amey absconded to Somaliland with Amey’s private car subsequently returned by interior ministry from Hargeisa
punt land and Somaliland are embroiled in a conflict that might lead to armed warfare due to claims by Puntland authorities in Garowe who claim juridical ions authority over some parts of eastern Somaliland.
This claim is based on the ethnicity of residents of eastern Sanaag and Sool regions predominantly Warsengeli and Dulbahante sub-clans of the Harti clan which the majority Majeertens of Puntland belong to.
The surprising claim that continues to bog down the Somaliland quest for international recognition as a sovereign nation is ironic considering the fact that the disputed area is deep inside Somaliland territorial jurisdiction as per land demarcation and subsequent maps drawn over a century ago by the United Kingdom and Italy the former colonial master of the then British Somaliland and Italian Somalia.
