The Somaliland Vice Minister for national Security, H.E. Ali Mohamed Elmi, questioned the true motive behind untimely and very undiplomatic terms the ‘ Security Minister’ of the regional state of Puntland that comes under the Federal Republic of Somalia, used to accuse Somaliland of a complicity with Al Shebab in relation to the military arsenal that the Somaliland authorities discovered aboard a ship that docked on Berbera Port last week.
The Vice Minister wondered how any right-minded person – let alone a so-called ‘Minister’, can link the weapons discovered, apprehended and publicly declared illegal by the Somaliland authorities to the Republic of Somaliland. He pointed out that the accusation from the regional state of Puntland reveals that Puntland was scared of what will be discovered during the investigation, leads of which may directly point to a clandestine arms deal going on in Puntland itself.
“We will get to the bottom of what Puntland is so scared of,” the honorable Vice Minister stated.
Vice Minister Ali Elmi confirmed that the Republic of Somaliland requested the UN Monitoring Committee on Somaliland and Eritrea to come and investigate the arms shipment itself, and that no further steps will be taken until the Committee arrives and makes an inventory of the shipment. The Committee will also inspect and investigate the provenance and authenticity of documents that the ship produced in relation to the weapons discovered in its holds.
The Vice Minister’s statement followed an accusation that Hassan Osman Allore, the Puntland ‘Minister’ directed against the Republic of Somaliland, illogically arriving at a conclusion that the weapons discovered will lead to an escalation of hostilities between the two “administrations”.
Mr. Allore’s words are seen here as an unashamed aggression of the Federal Republic of Somalia against the sovereignty and integrity of Somaliland and its public as Puntland is part of the FRS umbrella, and hoists the Federal flag.
Somaliland recognizes no distinction that separates Puntland’s words from that of Mogadishu.
Underlining that, the Somaliland Vice Minister for national Security put the responsibility for any consequences of Puntland’s rash accusation squarely on the initiator.
