As he denies alleged conflict with the presidency and his resignation as health minister
By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – “I Will Visit Buhodle if and When I Want either on personal or official duties ‘ said the Somaliland health minister Dr Suleiman Isse Hagaltosie as he advised local media to always ascertain facts before publishing any information.
The health minister who was responding to queries from local journalists related to his alleged anger with administration colleagues and subsequent decamping back to his Buhodle home also stressed on the fact of non-existent of conflicts within higher echelons of the Somaliland government.
“I categorically denied not only my purported dissatisfaction and anger with my colleagues but of any prevalent dispute within the government of President Ahmed Mahmud Silanyo” Said Hagaltosie thus putting to rest his alleged withdrawal from government.
According to some media reports Dr Suleiman Isse Hagaltosie has returned back to Hargeisa and his health portfolio by the minister of Aviation Mahmud Hashi Abdi and Youth and sports Colleague Ali Said Raygal, in Burao town where the duo had purportedly convinced the youthful Doctor not to proceed to Buhodle but return to the city for further consultation with the head of state.
While denying such an occurrence the Health Minister who informed that he was in Burao town on personal business very much unrelated to alleged anger said “I Will and can Visit Buhodle if and When I Want’ either in my capacity as health minister or personal since it is my home town.
As per the now false media reports Dr Hagaltosie had been angered by purported machinations with the administration to undermine the full implementation of the Buhodle peace agreement entered upon by President Silanyo and Dr Hagaltosie in mid 2012.
In the accords whose motive was to facilitate peaceful dialogue thence reconciliation between the government of Somaliland and Sool region clan whose dissatisfaction had ensued with armed conflict pitting the national army and Sool Sanaag and Cayn (Ain)-SSC tribal militias then commanded by Hagaltosie.
While attributing his signing of the Buhodle Peace accord (2012) to a want for secure and sustainable livelihoods fore the Sool region and in particular Buhodle residents who bore the main brunt of the conflict through deaths and displacement of residents
According to president Silanyo who had offered an olive branch to the SSC the Buhodle peace accord was as a result of “the need to end continuous clashes in Buhodle district and other areas of Sool region thus avail citizens the benefit of public services”
As he reiterated his caution to local journalists on the publishing of false information for public consummation, whom he asked to give proof of his ever mentioning his dissatisfaction with the administration if president Silanyo, Dr Hagaltosie informed that implementation of the Buhodle peace accord is ongoing successfully and as planned especially as entailing disbanding of the SSC militias as well as their Assimilation into the Somaliland armed forces, release of imprisoned militias, appointments to senior positions in government for SSC members, facilitation of the return of displaced residents, withdrawal of army from areas adjacent to Buhodle as well as availability of public services to Sool region among others.
Dr Suleiman Hagaltosie who is one of the youngest cabinet members of the Silanyo administration and minister of Health joined the Somaliland government as part implementation of the Buhodle peace accord in late 2012 as minister of Rehabilitation and Resettlement.
Being a powerhouse in his own right his purported rebellion had raised fears of renewed conflict in the Eastern regions of the country of Sool and Sanaag which are the subject of warmongering by the president of the Somalia administrative region of Puntland Abdiweli Gaas who wants to amalgamate the areas on basis of having his Darood clansmen as majority residents (Sool and East Sanaag regions).
Following his ascension to power in Garowe and as part of fulfilling his election campaign Abdiweli Gaas whose insinuations of annexing the areas to his Puntland administration by force notwithstanding repeated warnings by Hargeisa politicians and massive deployment of specialized forces by the Somaliland administration in East Sanaag and Sool regions came to an end only after stern warning by Hagaltosie.
Thus establishing his credentials as a fully blooded Somaliland patriot Dr Suleiman Hagaltosie who had during his rebellion days informed that he was neither a secessionists nor a unionists but one intent on gaining rights for his people within the republic of Somaliland, while in Erigavo town recently sternly warned Gaas telling him that any incursions into Somaliland territory will see Garowe and Bossaso towns of Puntland overrun in hours.
This Hagaltosie warning seems to have woken the reality of repercussions in Gaas who has since then nit been heard to insinuate on imminent attack of the areas or of his underling’s in the guise of deputy Puntland president Amay intended visit to his homeland of Buhodle whose right of visit or residence he forfeited after recanting his country of Somaliland and joining the greater Somalia unionists bandwagon in Puntland.
Somaliland who’s Achilles Heels is the Eastern region of Sool through political machinations by Garowe and Mogadishu was once united voluntary with Italia Somalia in 1960 re-declared its independence in 1991 after a bloody war against forces of Siad Barre by SNM militias as a result of the butchering in cold blood of thousands of its citizens.
Though Sool region is the Achilles Heels of the country yet unrecognized internationally for two decades its tendon is Khatumo secessionists based in Taleh district of the eastern region whose formation in 2012 was backed by Puntland in a bid to discredit Somaliland in the eyes of the IC especially during any Face to face talks between the governments of Hargeisa and Mogadishu.
This call for peaceful dialogue has always been blocked by the washed out politicians from the region whose desperation led them to form the now dead Khatumo state early this year.
The Khatumoist who believed, WRONGLY, that SSC will support them have seen their fortunes crumble following decisive setbacks by the national army which managed to completely rout their militias and arresting senior officers who are currently imprisoned and added to the Buhodle peace accord and defeat by Gaas of Farole as president of Puntland The might of the Khatumoist has been reduced to a suspected few gunmen who are targeting Las anod civil servants for assassination.
With Hagaltosie reaffirming his Somalilandism, the deployment thence establishment of dry land beachheads within striking distance of Garowe and Bossaso by Somaliland forces the Puntland adventure in Somaliland as pertains to the forceful amalgamation of areas under the territorial jurisdiction of this former British protectorate is now untenable.
