Boqor Buurmadow led inter-clan wars in El Afwein by telephone for the past two-and-half years – President Behi
His Excellency the President of the Republic of Somaliland, Musa Behi Abdi, distributed the first papers of the national exams for the scholastic year of 2018-2019 for which more than 30 000 students across upper primary and secondary schools sat on Saturday.
The President inaugurated the national upper primary and secondary schools final examinations at Sheikh Ali Ibrahim (Ex-Boyodhacay) Elementary/Intermediate school, Hargeisa, early in the morning. It was the first time in the history of the 28-year-old history of Somaliland that a President officially opened the first exam envelope for finals.
Fifty-three years ago, President Behi, himself, sat for upper primary exams at the same school.
Corps from the Somaliland media met the President there.
Following a brief speech he made at the parade square of the school, President Behi fielded questions.
One of the questions was on how the President viewed a scheduled conference between two major eastern Somaliland clans.
President Behi stated that, as a democratic country, any two or more clans could meet as long as theirs was a constructive one promoting peace or settling traditional issues between/among the clans.
But, then, the President started to go off the track.
“Boqor Buurmadow should attend more to the areas for which he is a Buur (Mountain) – a King,” President Behi said, directing a barb at the traditional leader who is currently in the United Arab Emirates.
“His areas had been embroiled in clan conflicts and armed confrontations for years on end now; he has been directing the conflicts by telephone for these past two-and-half years,” the President gunned at the leader out from the blue.
The Boqor and his constituents strongly supported the incumbent President’s bid for leadership giving him a winning edge over his competitors on Waddani and UCID tickets.
By doing so, he did not only gravely accuse the traditional leader but he, also, inadvertently implicated himself and his government which had been in power since the end of 2017.
Of course, observers say, the president was counting on his immunity not to be called to prove his accusation in a court of law.
The conference was not started but officially announced on media by Boqor (King) Osman Aw Mohamoud ‘Buurmadow’ (Black Mountain) at a recent call press interview.
Incidentally, there had been no armed engagement between clans since the protracted conflict between two clans resident in the El Afwein area of Sanaag district, eastern Somaliland, has been successfully moderated by a voluntary caucus of traditional leaders, academics and religious scholars in August 2018.
The President seemed not to have much respect for the settlement which led to due dia’s exchanged by the erstwhile warring clans less than a month earlier.
Isolated killings had been recorded since then one of which led to a state of emergency rule the President slammed on the districts of Erigavo, Garadag and El Afwein on May 2, 2019. The proposal did not pass the parliament and was constitutionally rescinded, although the military is still acting as if it is officially on in the three areas.
The only INGO in the Erigavo area packed and left the area due to the president’s martial rule call.
On end of the same month, a thoughtless order form the army chief Commander, general Nouh Tani, led to the greatest number of Somaliland military troops in eastern Sanaag defecting over to Somalia’s Puntland. Resources close to the government revealed – at the time – that General Tani gave troops stationed in the Badhan area to ‘engage’ other troops escorting a Puntland Minister touring the area. The troops demurred. The Commander, by way of punishment, ordered that salaries and supplies to the far-eastern Somaliland bases be halted.
Together, the three incidents, compounded by the near absence of development moves in areas east of Togdheer region – meaning the whole of Sanaag, indicate that the President has not fully realized that one of his primary roles to look out for a unified country – the more so on the more developmentally marginalized areas.
Critics are already pointing an accusatory finger at the president on his Trump-like, short-fused retorts in front of the camera, but on a penchant for picking arguments with people and areas that he could have diplomatically – and wisely – side-skirted.
President Behi’s repetitious, quarrelous references to who won the last presidential election which he was fond of needlessly picking with Waddani political party led many to believe that the President relished meaningless scuffles with ‘opponents’ more where he should have bridged gaps, mended rents in society, instead.
El Afwein Clan Conflict Concluded in Historic Resolution
Somaliland: President Slams State of Emergency Rule on 3 Sanaag Districts
Somalia’s Puntland Steps Up Attempts to Fragment Somaliland Political, Military Strength
Somaliland Parliament Fails to Approve President’s ‘State of Emergency’ Bill
