By: Latifa Yusuf Masai
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – The government is in advanced plans to absorb a large contingent of armed troops from Puntland.
This was revealed by the Somaliland defense minister Ahmed Hajj Adami during a briefing in Hargeisa where he also acknowledged meeting with the commander of the defected soldiers from Puntland.
“Yes there Somaliland army is hosting soldiers who defected Puntland recently, and yes we have met their commandr here in Hargeisa for discussions” said minister Adami
Earlier this month a fully armed platoon sized unit of Soldiers from Puntland Defected to Somaliland and are currently being hosted at a camp in the district headquarters of Hengool in Sanaag region.
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 and The Capital Hargeisa as well.
The colonel who spearheaded the defection is the designated commander of security for the allegedly Sanaag region of Puntland, a Somalia administrative region to the east of Somaliland that contends to administrative jurisdiction of this country’s Eastern regions .
While acknowledging the presence of the defectors in the country as well as having held discussions with their commander the defense minister was evasive on ultimate fate be it absorption or otherwise of the troops from Puntland who are in Toto citizens of Somaliland.
These defectors are in a quandary in lieu of the fact that it was the norm to immediately absorb such in the past but a recent rapport between the two neighbouring countries that saw the Somaliland ministry of interior return the vehicle of Puntland VP Amey to Garowe after his driver escaped with it which he handed over to local troops in Sool region.
Somaliland and its neighbour Puntland, a Somalia administrative region to the east are in never ending acrimonies related to claims over jurisdiction of some areas in the east of Somaliland by authorities in Garowe.
