As the army deploys along the Somaliland Somalia border in the East to counter Armed incursions from Puntland
By: Yusuf M Hasan
ERIGAVO (Somalilandsun) – The donation of Egyptian military hardware to Somalia has been termed as one with ill intent towards Somaliland.
This was stated by the Somaliland defense minister Ahmed Haji Adami during a briefing in the Sanaag regional capital Erigavo where he also revealed that the armed forces is patrolling its entire border with Somalia.
Minister Adami who was reacting to the recent donation of mostly old Egyptian military hardware to Somalia said that the Government of Somaliland shall lay all blame Egypt upon any aggression emanating from Somalia and its administrative region of Puntland.
Denouncing the Pharoah authorities for being short sighted and easily forgetful, the defense minister said “ Somalilanders have always stood with their Egyptian brothers at all times and the arming of its neighbour Somalia is a slap in the face”
Though no breakdown was given the Somalia army was earlier in the week recipient of a 
consignment of equipment donated by Cairo, which the Pharaohs termed as the last of its nature.
Meanwhile the Somaliland army is hosting a large contingent of Puntland forces who defected from their posts in some areas of Sanaag region where they were sent by their masters in Garowe for purposes of disrupting ongoing voter registration in the region.
Last week the Somaliland army killed a number of soldiers from Puntland with the remaining escaping back to their bases in Bosaso following attempts to disrupt voter registration in Boda’ade village in the eastern part of Sanaag region.
During the skirmishes in which Puntland had tried to implement its threat of deterring ongoing voter registration in Sanaag region and forthcoming one in Neighbouring Sool region a member of the Garowe based Somalia regional parliament was also captured.
According to defense minister Ahmed Haji Adami the skirmishes in Boda’ade and the government’s intent to ensure voter registration is implemented in Sanaag region as per arrangements by the National Election Commission have resulted in the beefing up of patrols along the entire border with Puntland.
At the same time a large camp has been established in Erigavo where the Somaliland Army is hosting soldiers defecting from Puntland with a heavily armed platoon formerly of the Garowe based Dervishes being the latest to call it home.
Puntland has been in constant incursions of Somaliland territories especially in the east of Sanaang and Sool regions which it claims as part of its administrative domain in lieu of the fact that the predominating Warsengeli and Dhulbahante sun- clans are members of the Harti clan of which the majority Majeertenis of Puntland belong to.
In the meantime voter registration which precludes Somaliland presidential and parliamentary elections slated for March 2017 is proceeding as planned in the entire Sanaag region after successful completion of phase one while the Somaliland National Election body prepares for a similar exercise in Sool region.
