Somalia: a German abducted, Maakhir in Stability, and Somaliland in Disarray

By: Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
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[ Posted On: 2008-02-12 ]

Over the past two months, we dedicated several articles to Maakhir, the self-proclaimed autonomous state in Northern Somalia that acclaims every unitary effort in the multi-targeted and war-stricken country of the Horn of Africa. Contrarily to the secessionist aspirations of Somaliland that lies in the West, and the ineffective political targets of Puntland that lies in the East, the Maakhir authorities pledge full commitment to peace, concord, and local development until the time of an All-Somali Union.

In the few months that passed since the new state was launched (1 July 2007), tiny Maakhir (area: 35000 km2; population: 700000 people) proved to be a paradise of stability and concord, civil order and environmental sensibilities, if compared to warring Somalialnd and Puntland that do gravely threaten stability and peace, socioeconomic development and national union in the Horn of Africa area, in the same way the Abyssinian soldiers do trigger Islamic Extremism in the Somali South.

Abduction of a German male aid worker

In a clearly deteriorating environment in the ailing and unrecognized pseudo-state of Somaliland, a German male aid worker was reported abducted in Erigavo earlier today by gunmen loyal to Somaliland militias in the area. The news spread immediately allover the world, as it highlights the total incapacity of Somaliland's secessionist government.

The authoritative Maakhir portal Laaqoray.net, in an informative article (http://www.laasqoray.net/view_article.php?articleid=2662), gave details about the event, stating that “Eye witnesses reported that the aid worker's driver was wounded by gunfire when the kidnappers intercepted his vehicle in an area claimed by both the breakaway states of Maakhir and Somaliland.

According to elders in the city the aid worker and his driver was heading to Waqdiriya (an ancient town controlled by Maakhir) area outside Erigavo when the gunmen ambushed and snatched him and left his driver wounded and lying on the floor.

The abducted aid worker was employed by German Agro Action, a non-governmental organization which has been operating in the area for several years. The NGO based in Bonn, [known in Germany as Welthungerhilfe] confirmed that one of its employees had been abducted in northern Somalia.

In the area where the abduction took place, Agro Action [which has been active in Somalia since 1990s] was leading a project on irrigated farming development.

Aid workers, notably foreigners, have been increasingly targeted in all parts of the restive Horn of Africa country”.

Through contacts with various Maakhiri authorities, we reconfirmed that the early information, according to which the abductors went to Southern Erigavo, was false. As a matter of fact, the Erigavo district is divided between Somaliland and Maakhir. As the area was for many years open to roaming Puntland and Somaliland militias, the Maakhir Authority made repeated calls for self-restrain in order to help establish a minimum security around its borders.

Reports from Badhan, the Maakhir capital, specified that the abducted German aid worker was taken away to the mountains toward Daalo, an area controlled by clan militia supporting Somaliland.

The Maakhir Authority, in an effort to solve the problem, entered into negotiations with the tribe loyal to Somaliland (Isaaq Clans) because Somaliland does not exercise real power in its eastern regions. Maakhiri elders from the Maakhiri part of Erigavo have held talks with their Isaaq counterparts, offering full support in order to obtain the release of the abducted German aid worker.

Mohamed Digil, a former Somaliland administrator as head of 'uncontrolled' militias

According to converging information from Laasqoray and Maakhiri Erigavo, the militia that abducted the aid worker is clan militia unhappy with the Argo Action representative and his team, as they were heading towards Waqderiya (an ancient town controlled by Maakhir) in order to consider details pertaining to a new development project.

The 'uncontrolled' militias had allegedly stated to the Argo Action representative that the area is disputed, and demanded that the NGO does not help whomever may be currently in control in Waqderiya.

This reveals the dedication and the commitment of the German NGO, and the dramatic circumstances under which they do their best to help the indigenous populations.

Through my latest contacts, I got the reconfirmation that the leader of the militias involved in the abduction is no other than the notorious Mohamed Digil, a former administrator in the breakaway and unrecognized, mafia state of Somaliland. Mohamed Digil belongs to the Habar Yonis clan, which is a sub-clan of Muse Ismael and Jibrel Turwa.

Why?

As we already said, Somaliland does not exercise real political, economic and military power in the province of Western Sanaag, even though the area is a Isaaq territory; for non insiders, the Isaaq clan is the strongest component of the secessionist administration of Somaliland, but this does not imply total Isaaq support to the Hargeysa puppets of the Abyssinian tribal dictator Meles Zenawi. Many Isaaq Somalis oppose the paranoid secessionist dreams of the Abyssinian puppets who portray themselves as Somaliland's leaders.

As a matter of fact, Somaliland functionaries are scarce in the east of the Hargeysa and Berbera, the main Somaliland's port which is controlled by Abyssinian paramilitary criminals and thugs.

The abductors are certainly loyal to Somaliland authorities in terms of clan, but as long as we are not aware of their projects and targets, we can only express the conjecture that they employed methods already successfully employed in Yemen in order to attract governmental interest and subsidies.

Antecedents

Beyond the illustrious Yemenite tradition in this regard, we have to admit that abduction has been a common story in Puntland where last year two women from Spain and Argentina working for MSF were abducted. A while back, a French cameraman preparing a documentary on migrants was also kidnapped. In all cases, ransom was paid to the abductors in order to get the aid workers back.

As for many years Somaliland and Puntland have been engaged in conflict over the territories of Sool and Sanaag, and always viewed these provinces as marginal to either Hargeysa and Garowe, their respective capitals, the autochthonous populations enthusiastically sought peace and development, and backed their political leaders who declared its independence as Maakhir State of Somalia. Maakhir is therefore the guarantee for civil order and discipline in the area.

What to do?

One of the most critical problems of the Horn of Africa region, and Somalia more particularly, is related to the uncontrolled areas of Eastern Somaliland where the political vacuum and the socio-economic underdevelopment are matched with tribal militias prevalence.

The clash between some clan militias and the otherwise nebulous and ill-fated administration of unrecognized Somaliland endangers peace and progress in the entire area. When every clan has its own militias, the rise of tribalism gives localism an anti-patriotic nuance that ends up in ceaseless wars.

Somaliland is also threatened because of this procedure; when Eil-Afweyn is controlled by Isaaq militias who don't care whether Somaliland exists or not, the Hargeysa warlords should re-think about their dreams of international recognition that, if we assume possible to materialize (which is not the case), could turn to a nightmare of the utmost subdivision and split.

It would be to the benefit of all these provisory states in the Somali North to cede control of their borders to UN peacekeeping forces until a General Constituent Assembly of all the Somalis brings forth the next, real, effective and auspicious National Unity Government of Somalia.

Maakhir should be helped in its effort to establish civil order, social rehabilitation, and unitary national feeling, and supported in its commitment to stop illegal charcoal trading, and hunting,

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

About The Author: Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis - is Orientalist, Assyriologist, Egyptologist, Iranologist, Islamologist, Historian and Political Scientist. Dr. Megalommatis, 51, is the author of 12 books, dozens of scholarly articles, hundreds of encyclopedia entries, and thousands of articles. He speaks, reads and writes more than 15, modern and ancient, languages.

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