Somaliland government has announced it was aware the recent visit last week to Buhoodle by the Vice President of the Puntland Mr. Abdi Hakim Abdullah Omer was of humanitarian nature and not a provocative one as alleged by a section of the media.
Somaliland Deputy Minister of Interior Hon Mohamed Muse Diriye in an interview with to the state owned Somali language newspaper said, “We knew of his intentions to come to Buhoodle which was to attend the funeral of his late mother who passed away last week that’s why we allowed him to cross into Somaliland territory in the first place as a humanitarian gesture.
The deputy minister of interior in charge of internal security responding to question on the influence the visit by Vice President of Puntland Mr. Abdi Hakim Abdullah Omer may have he said, “First of all it’s a well-known fact that Buhoodle is Somaliland territory since time immemorial no one can contest that but Puntland has always tried to use the tribal card so as to lay claim of the region but borders aren’t drawn by tribal bases and again the reality is the people of Buhoodle are Somalilanders to the flesh and bone ,so the answer to your question is, his visit won’t have any effect whatsoever on the region.
The deputy minister when asked why the regional governor and Mayor of Buhoodle seem not to be executing their duties and the nature of their visit to Hargeisa he had this to say, “The two officials are currently in Hargeisa on a working visit and the once they conclude their business here they shall return to their respective posts in Buhoodle.
“My message to Puntland authorities is keep to your territory and don’t make a mistake by thinking Somaliland isn’t capable of protecting its citizens and sovereignty”, he said.
The Horn Tribune
