THE REPUBLIC  OF   SOMALILAND    

           

        Ministry of Foreign Affairs

                                                      Office of the Minister

 

      Tel/Fax: 00 252 828 3871; 00 252 2 426 922 ; e-mail: slforeign@hotmail.com

 

                                                                                                                                                                            

 

                                                                                                                           Hargeisa

                                                                                                                          24/3/2006

 

                                        PRESS  RELEASE

 

                                        

The government of the Republic of Somaliland wishes to communicate to all concerned, that another unprovoked attack has been perpetrated against the people of the Republic of Somaliland by the militia of the Puntland Region of Somalia. The attacks were against the villages of Majiiyahan and Dhallan in the Sanaag Region of the Republic of Somaliland, and have caused loss of life, injuries, as well as the sequestration of civilians who they hold as hostages to this day.

 

This attack was perpetrated at a time when the nomads in the area were already suffering the ravages of the serious drought affecting the region and the people did not need more suffering to be added to their misery.

 

We believe that the aim of the recent aggression from the Puntland region of Somalia against the Republic of Somaliland is to chase away the inhabitants of the district of Eastern Sanaag in order to allow foreign companies to illegally prospect for oil deep inside the territory of the Republic of Somaliland. We are also convinced that these repeated provocations are designed to plunge our peaceful country into the kind of turmoil that the Republic of Somalia has been known for during the past fifteen years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The international community should be informed that the massive amounts of funds that are poured into the pockets of warlords by companies who are interested in oil, as well as the funds that are made available by the international community, supposedly to broker peace between these warlords, only serve to provide them with the funds that allows them to import heavy arms into the Horn of Africa in blatant disregard of the Security Council Arms Embargo that is imposed against the Republic of Somalia.

 

Furthermore, we are informed that the head the warlords in Bosasso is currently abroad in order to purchase yet more cannons to use on civilian populations in the region.

 

Following the attack, the civilian population of the two villages of Somaliland drove away the invading militia causing them to suffer heavy losses both in life and military hardware. The loss of life and casualties would not have happened if the warlords of the Puntland region of Somalia had any respect for international laws and regulations and had respected international borders.

 

In the interest of peace and security in the region, the Republic of Somaliland had up to now shown extreme patience and restraint. However, as a result of these repeated naked provocations on the part of the Puntland region of Somalia, Somaliland’s tolerance and peaceful intentions are wearing thin.

 

The government of Somaliland wishes to reassure the International community that it will not pursue the militia of the Puntland region inside Somalia provided that Puntland voluntarily withdraws its militia entirely out of Somaliland territory.

 

We are confident that the international community will spare no effort to put pressure on Somalia to cease all hostilities against the people of the Republic of Somaliland if peace and stability in the Horn of Africa are to be maintained.

 

 

 

 

Mrs. Edna Adan Ismail

      Foreign Minister