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The UN Somalia Support Centre in Nairobi attempts to establish conflict
between Somaliland and Puntland as the UN organizations operated in
Puntland tries to instigate a border conflict between the two
administrations by taking advantage of the disputed regions of Sool and
the Eastern parts of Sanaag which are territorially attached to
Somaliland but ethnically belong to Puntland. Knowing the sensitivity of
the disputed areas, the UN offices in Garowe with permission of their
officers in Nairobi usually paid visits to areas across the border
without the consent of the administration in Hargeysa.
The current tensions in Taleh district of Sool is the result of the
recent visit by the United Nations with the Puntland administration in
Garowe to Taleh followed by the ambush of the Somaliland officials from
Lasanod by the presidential security from Garowe which had caused death
and kidnapping of the Somaliland delegates that are now prosecuted in
Garowe under the nose of the UN. That visit by the UN officials from
Garowe and the followed incident, had not only created a fresh hostility
between the two administrations, but fired a new animosity and bloodshed
between the two brethren clans of Taleh District.
Now, UNICEF plans to ignite a similar disaster in eastern districts of
Sanaag region by hauling aid from Garowe as a pretext for urgent
Humanitarian aid to drought affected areas in the region with a mere
notification of their intentions to the administration in Hargeysa. The
Somaliland administration has not yet come in terms with the recent bold
attack and denigration of its officials by the Garowe administration
that are still in their hands despite asking immediate release of the
held captives.
As a matter of fact, the UNICEF logistics depots are located in Mombasa
and Djibouti and it would be quite easy for UNICEF to set up a relief
operation center in the Regional HQ, Erigavo, to distribute aid to
various drought affected village in all Sanaag districts. In this
center, the staff could be delegated from both offices in Hargeysa and
Bossaso as a relief operation with additional temporary local staff who
hail from supply destinations. Thus, the locals (people and transport)
of various districts could equally benefit this operation if UNICEF
intention is a conflict free. The logical scenario is to negotiate with
the officials of Somaliland administration to allow shipments to came
from Bossaso Port but under the management of UNICEF Hargeysa who also
may conduct some shipments from Berbera.
It is unfortunate, after 20 years, that all UN and other organizations
that operate in Somaliland to concentrate their offices in Hargeysa with
all benefits (both employment and projects) going unbalanced to the
general public. And that might have resulted some ill-feeling to certain
parts of the population. The local staff in the organizations have a
role to that inequalities of resources distribution to the Somaliland
regions. The front desk local staffs dictate to their senior officers
(non-locals) to annual planning of the organizations programme while
they make their jobs and other benefits secure and that is one of the
reasons that UN organization and others kept locked in Hargeysa. The
other side that worth to blame is the successive Somaliland Authorities
over the years that had dealt with the organizations with beggar’s
attitude and failed to disperse the organizations over the regions
accordingly where the security at least permits.
Finally, insecurity or the notion of hostility in their areas of
operation is always favorable to all UN and other agencies as funds, per
deems and hostile allowance to field and HQ staffs and well as
programmes increase and sustain to long period. Therefore, let the
Somaliland and Puntland administrations not create to that favorable
situation for the UN Somalia Support Centre in Nairobi and their
respective field offices. I would rather suggest to sort out peacefully
those issues under the humanitarian activities such critical time and
kept aside the other geopolitical issues. We are now as Somalilanders
helping the needy and starving Southern and how come we could not be
able provide a logical solution to the distribution of aid to those
areas in Somaliland.
M
Arrale
Arrale3@yahoo.com
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