The regional administration of Puntland is reported to have bought military vehicles and hardware from neighboring Yemen.
The military pieces were ferried to the coastal town of Bossasso by dhows belonging to Yemenis which ply between coastal towns lying along the Gulf of Aden and the Yemeni mainland.
The reports coming from Bossasso say the shipments included light military vehicles used for mounting guns, anti-aircraft artillery pieces used on such vehicles to back infantry troops, AK rifles, hand grenades, mortar guns and shells, pistols, ammunition and the like.
It is not yet clear that Puntland bought the pieces with the full consent of Mogadishu, under which federal umbrella it comes, but what is certain, the reports say, is that Puntland blatantly violates the arms embargo on Somalia taking the cue from Italian, Turkish and German military assistance to Mogadishu using the magic word ‘Al-shebab’ as a pretext.
This newest development adds a lot of jitters to an already volatile region, tipping the stability balance to an uncertain angle.
Puntland has made no secret of territorial claims to areas within the international borders of Somaliland as it is also a constant threat to the peoples and land of Galmudug with whom it shares boundaries.
