How Puntland Administration Has Become A Rudderless Ship In Sool

By Liban Ahmed

Reports from the capital of Sool region, Las-Anod, indicate that the city is now under the control of Somaliland forces. The news is a massive blow to the Puntland administration that has financially backed the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia whose President and Prime Minister are now locked in a messy power struggle that has put the very existence of TFG at risk.

Three years ago Puntland and Somaliland forces clashed in Adhi Caddeeye, roughly 30 KM from Las-Anod. At the time Puntland had an interim president in the person of Mohamed Abdi Haashi, former vice president of Puntland under President Abdillahi Yusuf Ahmed. Three months after the clashes Puntland held presidential election in which the current president, Adde Muuse, defeated Mohamed Abdi Hashi.

Adde Muuse inherited the Puntland-Somaliland military stand-off in Adhi Caddeeye. He told the BBC Somali Service, in an interview shortly after he assumed the presidential responsibility, that he would consider the will of the people of Sool. A very confident and pragmatic stance compared with Somaliland's colonial border based argument.

But this stance led to political stagnation that made it easier for Transitional Federal Government to rely on Puntland's meager resources that could benefit Puntland regions where a large number of internally displaced people live.

Infighting and mismanagement had affected the administrative machinery in Puntland. It led to sacking of Interior Minister, Mohamed Abdi Haabsade, one of Puntland co-founders, who was on peace-making mission in Buuhoodle. Mr Habsade was speaker of Somaliland for a couple of years until he fell he fell out with the former Somaliland president, the late Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Igal.

Haabsade's sacking fuelled speculation as to how Puntland will be able to protect community cohesion against the stratagems of feuding Sool politicians in Puntland administration. In short, Puntland leaders have forgotten that Puntland is a delicate political partnership that cannot survive without the input of impartial traditional leaders.

Neither Garoowe nor Hargeysa will reap the long term political, adverse side affects of the current turmoil in Sool. It is the people of Sool who will face the music by themselves until credible politicians emerge to complement the work of traditional leaders.

The five year Puntland Somaliland logjam (2002-2007) shows that it easy for a disaffected group to use Somaliland or Puntland administrations to score political gains without long term political objectives. It's this type of mindset that's become a major liability of people of Sool who have done their best to transform Sool into a booming region.

Like Puntland, Somaliland is now on a shakier position as far as Sool is concerned. Credible Sool politicians who can liaise and work with all groups in Sool are in short supply in Somaliland. Politicians and functionaries that Somaliland administration has appointed seldom made contacts with people in Las-Anod and other parts previously under Puntland administration for fear of harassment.

Many people in Sool have blamed Puntland for not solving the military stand-off either peacefully or through military means. Proponents of such view seem to have ignored the fact that successive Puntland administrations looked on military confrontation with Somaliland as counterproductive to their pro-union stance. President Abdillahi Yusuf Ahmed would find it hard to come across as a President   of Federal Somalia while an enclave he once ruled, and which partly propelled him to the political scene, pursues hostile policies against a neighboring administration. Puntland Development Research Center has played a major role in strengthening peace treaty in Mudug region signed by the late General Aideed and President Abdillahi Yusuf Ahmed in 1993. Similar peace-making and peace enhancing initiatives were not envisioned either by PDRC and Somaliland Academy for Peace and Development to address the Sool issue.

Challenges for Puntland and Somaliland Administrations

Both Puntland and Somaliland administrations face challenges in the aftermath of Las-Anod incident. "No doubt Somaliland has scored a major victory, and clearly has an edge, as pointed out by foreign observers, such as The Economist [newspaper of London]. But based on previous experience things could change quickly, therefore, Somaliland should not take anything for granted," editorialized the Somaliland Times. Another challenge for Somaliland has got to do with political unpreparedness   of Sool military leaders (now part of Somaliland forces) to diffuse the tension that may turn into bloody skirmishes between people still loyal to Puntland administration and Pro-Somaliland people in Las-Anod. Prominent Sool politicians in Somaliland administration   have not done their homework as far as selling the Somaliland idea to Sool people is concerned and as such have given their constituencies the impression that they have been marooned in Hargeysa.

Many view political fragmentation of Sool communities as a legacy of Puntland insouciance. Puntland administration has not shown level headedness to deal with disaffected militias who regrouped in Waqdari gully nor has the administration steered clear of interfering in the efforts of traditional leaders to resolve the matter peacefully.

Without the input of traditional leaders Sool will remain a contested region. Giving traditional leaders a Guurti- like role (a council of elders) in running Sool will reduce the region's susceptibility to politicians who manipulate Puntland and Somaliland administrations to score political points over war-weary people.

By Liban Ahmad, libahm@gmail.com

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