BOSSASO, Somalia Mar 7 2008 - A clan elder in northern Somalia's Puntland region was arrested Friday on the orders of regional President Adde Muse, Garowe Online has learnt.

Abdi Farah, an elder belonging to the Warsangeli clan, was detained by Puntland security forces from his home in the port city of Bossaso, clan elders said confidentially.

A group of clan elders from Bari region, where Bossaso is located, met with Puntland Security Minister Abdullahi Said Samatar to negotiate for Mr. Farah's release.

But Minister Samatar informed the traditional elders that Farah was arrested on the orders of President Muse and that Samatar "cannot do anything about it," sources at the meeting said.

The security minister also told the elders he met with that Mr. Farah was arrested in connection with a Warsangeli clan uprising in March 2006, when Puntland troops and foreign geologists collecting mineral samples were attacked in Majihaan village by Warsangeli clan fighters.

The ensuing violence, which lasted until April, killed at least 10 people and wounded scores, eventually forcing the Puntland government and its foreign partner to suspend operations there.

The Puntland government now suspects that Mr. Farah is leading a campaign to discredit the 2005 exploration deal President Muse signed with Australia-based Range Resources, Ltd.

In related news, Warsangeli gunmen angered by Farah's arrest exchanged gunfire with Puntland police in the town of Laag, roughly 20km west of Bossaso, sources said.

The government dispatched additional security forces to Laag as discussions continued in Bossaso to calm down the situation and negotiate Farah's release.

Muse has made it the highlight of his political career to implement the Puntland-Range deal, even though many in Somalia fear Majihaan-type armed resistance.

Locals oppose the Puntland-Range deal on grounds that Muse did not consult local clans and the legal fact that the Puntland leader lacks the constitutional authority to sell chunks of Somali territory to foreign firms.

Last month, the Muse government presented a revised Puntland Constitution that includes a clause stating that Puntland has the right to sign deals with foreign companies.

The new Constitution has not been introduced for debate in the Puntland Parliament.

Source: Garowe Online

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