The Gandi Public Library that used to serve for Hargeisa as the only public library and founded as non profitable organisation is sold out and gone!
It’s destroyed along with Somaliland’s only historic Post Office Building adjacent to the Hargeisa’s Central Police Station. Hargeisa residents, specially those who used the services the Gandi Library used provide shocked to witness not only the city’s only library’s demolition but also the destruction of the historic post office building that stood as one of the few buildings left from the British era and the historical link with Somaliland’s pre- independence.
An irreplaceable and historic building is lost and it not only Hargeisa that lost its inestimably precious buildings but the scale of both historic and another sites that President Siilaanyo led government cashes in on are becoming innumerous.
Massively cashing in on public properties and national historic sites, the current government led by president Siilaanyo has sold numerous buildings and land sites to business tycoons who are readily willing to buy any site the government offers for sale, irrespective of whether these sites should be protected or not.
On Tuesday the 9th of February a crew of demolition were sent to tear-down Hargeisa’s only public library which was established in 2001 by a Somaliland- Canadian citizen who first collected the books that fill its shelves from Toronto residents as charity and since that time used as the city’s only library source.
The following Wednesday the demolition crew moved in to destroy Somaliland’s historic post office building built during the British time and the destruction took three days to completely flatten the historic old building that survived from wars during late 80s and early 90s and could be protected now.
The antique letter boxes from the post office were transported to Ethiopia as metal scrap for recycling and sold there. Reports say.
Shocking videos and pictures showing the Gandi Library and the historic post office all disappearing under the ruthless hammer wielding men paid by a tycoon and given the green light by heartless leadership in Somaliland’s top office are now resurfacing.
Below is one of the pictures showing the destruction of the British time built post office and where the Gaandi Library used to stand and now in ruins.
According to source closed to Somaliland’s Ministry of Pubic Services and the National Properties, more than five hundred public properties and lands were illegally sold with huge cash to private landlords and all the money paid for were transferred into private accounts and never become accountable to the national treasury.
The number of public properties, including government housing properties that were sold or transferred to private ownership has risen more than 90% since 2010 when President Siilaanyo took office.
It is now becoming norm to see such unnecessary destruction of historic and public properties by the same leaders who used campaign for protecting them and now the people of Somaliland are beginning to realise that the leaders they entrusted with their country’s leadership have proved of such inestimable advantage to certain individuals that are cashing in on what little historic buildings remaining and properties they thought are protected for the nation.
Latest reports of public properties sold to business tycoons say Hargeisa’s Taaro-dheer site or the better known SOLTECO compound which locates strategically on the main road that runs in the heart of the city and the opposite of Hargeisa’s hospital is now illegally sold to business tycoon who hails from Moqadishu. If this is confirmed it will be bold evidence that President Siilaanyo government has no regard of what it’s cashing in on or who it is selling to what it supposed to protect.
President Siilaanyo’s government is proving itself as a demolition crew that is cashing in on public and historic buildings as well as any land space that strategically locates in the city.
