The Armed Forces Commander of the Federal Somalia State of Puntland, General Abshir Abdi Jama ‘London’, declares an all-out war on the Republic of Somaliland, calling it a haven for terrorists.
The Commander of what the Somalia federal state calls the Dervishes, General Abshir London, speaking to a motley of ill-clad, clan militias on the outskirts of Boocame, Sool region of Somaliland, jestingly scoffed at internationally demarcated boundaries separating the former British Protectorate from the erstwhile Italian colony of Somalia.
“They say the British has given us these lands and the boundaries. When did the British had a say so in my land?. This is ours. We will, together, sacrifice our lives for it. War has started for us in which we will no longer be spectators,” he said.
The General stated that the only flag they respected and defended was the blue, five-starred flag of Federal Somalia.
“That blue flag is the only one we respect. We have no place for that who rejects, turning his back on Somalihood it believing he was above everybody else,” he said, his words unmistakably labeling Somaliland.
Warming up to his words, General Abshir boldly called Somaliland a haven for terrorists.
“Somaliland is notorious for giving sanctuary to terrorists. It finances it (terrorism). All that which is used to mow down Somali nationals whether it be in the South (Somalia proper) or the east (meaning Puntland), Somaliland has facilitated. We have proof of that. It is become a haven for terrorists. They facilitate passage to terrorists going east or west. It is them who financially support them,” he added.
Coming to the finale of a long-winded harangue, the general declared with whom his allegiance lay.
“We want a one-Somalia under the one blue flag. We want a unified Somalia called Federal Somalia. No more would there be a man entertaining himself on elusive, ephemeral cla
im,” he said.
By virtue of the nature and gravity of his statements, the general put himself in a pinch, training attention on himself and Somalia, as a whole, at a time the world was hunting down terrorism in all its forms. The declaration of belligerence and armed engagement on a country that has not shed a single drop of blood at the area he was visiting and, furthermore, calling it a haven of terrorism and an active supporter of terrorists would definitely command the attention of the world begging for irrefutable proof or else…
Coincidentally, General Abshir timed his grave terrorism-related accusations on Somaliland at a time Somalia was reeling under the shock of twin blasts that claimed the lives of more than 120 people, and the injury of over 300 in Mogadishu on 29 October.
The President of the Republic of Somaliland, speaking at the 29th anniversary of the country’s police forces, yesterday, expressed how he and his country were saddened and devastated by what befell on hapless civilians going about their daily chores in Mogadishu.
If Villa Somalia does not immediately distance itself from the wild accusations the general made, it would be tantamount to sanctioning his actions and words – which may not be the wisest decision at this juncture in time, analysts observe.
General Abshir – a Diaspora Somalian – only took over command from his predecessor General Yassin Omar Dheere on September 7 this year. The Boocame area visit is his first foray out of Garowe, the provincial capital of Puntland federal state.
The Somaliland army has peacefully taken over Boocame – some 70 km from Somalia’s Garowe – only last week at the behest of the local population. Not a single bullet left the muzzle on either side.
The Republic of Somaliland is widely acclaimed for the peace and stability it engendered since it struck out on its own in 1991 restoring an internationally recognized independence it hastily ceded to Somalia in an ill-fated, disastrous union with Somalia in 1960.
