Somali Case Needs to be Reviewed by the Security Council

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Title: [SW Country]( Garowe - PL) Somali Case Needs to be Reviewed by the Security Council - Update 3
Posted by/on:[AAJ][9 Jan 2000]

Garowe, January 09, 2001

To the President of the Security Council, New York, NY

Members of the Security Council, New York, NY

Cc: The Secretary General of the UN, New York

The Heads of the States of Somalia' Neighboring Countries

IGAD Heads of States

Organization of Africa Union

League of Arab Nations

Organization of Islamic Conference

European Union Heads of State and Government – Brussels

Re: Somali Case Needs to be Reviewed by the Security Council

Your Excellencies,

On behalf of the Puntland Federal State of Somalia (PSS) and on my own behalf as the President of PSS, I wish to express our deep concerns of the role the United Nations, through the office of the General Secretary, has played in this current mayhem in Somalia. After having been actively involved in the creation of the so-called Arta Faction in Djibouti, the UN, again through the office of the General Secretary, set in motion a process of recognition to this Faction by the International Community. The General Secretary’s proposals soliciting recognition for the Arta Faction in Mogadishu, are detailed in his report - Assistance for humanitarian relief and the economic and social rehabilitation of Somalia, dated 7 December 2000. We found the General Secretary’s proposals in this report contradicting His 1999 report – S/1999/882 dated 16 August 1999, in which the General Secretary supported the idea of the building blocks and peace dividend approach to reconstitute Somalia again. We believe that, unfortunately, the World Body has again squandered an opportunity to address the Somali Issue.

The Arta Faction, made in Djibouti does not have the mandate of most of the Somali people as Puntland, Somaliland and the soon-to-be-formed South West State were not party to the Arta Process.

Facts About the Arta Faction

Contrary to its claim that it would work for country’s reconciliation, the Arta Faction started to declare war on the only peaceful pockets of Somalia.

On December 20th of last year, the militias of this so-called interim government of Arta recently installed by the Djibouti authorities invaded Balad a town, 30 kilometers to the north of Mogadishu in an attempt to wrest control off the hands of another faction. The consequence was an unnecessary loss of lives and property.

On January 6^th, 2001, the Arta Faction sent a delegation and militias to Bay and Bakol regions controlled by the Rahanwein Resistance Army (RRA) in order to destabilize the zone. The clashes between the RRA and the Arta Faction militia left nineteen people dead and towns burned in Tieglow and Huddor areas in Bay and Bakol regions of Somalia.

Puntland has learned that whatever aid Some Arab countries gave to the Arta Faction has been used as logistics support for militias sent to different parts of Somalia to conquer peaceful states and regions of Somalia.

Kismayo ( a southern port city) is another hot spot that may soon witness a lot of bloodshed and instability as a result of Arta Faction’s mess-up, if not averted. The Arta faction, which doesn’t even control Mogadishu, its own seat of so-called government, has chosen to export instability, chaos and bloodshed to the relatively peaceful areas of Somalia.

Facts About Puntland State of Somalia

Puntland is stable, peaceful, self-governing regional State with a well functioning public administration firmly in place. It consists of 5 of the 18 Somalia regions and contains over one-thirdof the land surface and one-fourth of the population of the Republic of Somalia. The 2.5-year Old State has democratic constitution, elected State President, Legislative Council and independent Judiciary. Within its limited resources, it undertakes to promote justice, good governance, and to protect human rights and the environment in Puntland.

PSS was the outcome of 8 painful years of quiet deliberations on the failures of all efforts on national reconciliation and the need for local political and administrative structures in Puntland. A series of Consultative and Constitutional Conferences attended by 600 representatives of these 5 regions of Puntland took place over a period of 12 months from October 1997 to August 1998. These representatives from all sectors of Puntland society came together and jointly established, on their free will, the Puntland State of Somalia on 1st August 1998.

PSS is an integral part of the Somali Republic and strongly stands for the preservation of the unity, integrity and sovereignty of Somalia. It urges and appeals to the national and international communities to respect and uphold these fundamental principles. Our regional State has been ready to be one of the first pillars of a National Federal government, which should be all-inclusive, equitable and democratic that is untainted by involvement and influence of former dictatorial regime or extremists.

In Puntland we have succeeded in establishing the basic government institutions, and enacted laws that guarantee the basic human rights and protect the environment. We have succeeded in banning the burning of wood for charcoal production for export, which was widely practiced before my government came to office. We have also banned the export of wild life from areas in my government's jurisdiction. We have removed from Puntland Territorial Waters an estimated 3000 foreign vessels that illegally fished in our waters, or engaged in illegal activities like toxic waste dumping. In the 2.5 years my government has been in office, we have created a civil service and law enforcement force of nearly seven thousand (7,000) men and women that oversee the smooth functioning of our institutions. We have scheduled an election in mid 2001 when the term of 3-year interim period will end.

How the World Body Can Help

With this gloomy backdrop and the unacceptable actions of the Arta Faction, it would be an unpardonable sin against the Somalis and against humanity if such bloodthirsty faction is dealt with or recognized as a legitimate authority in Somalia, let alone "an interim government of Somalia".

We appeal to Your Excellencies:

To support and encourage the concept of building blocks to help reconstitute Somalia on federal basis and discourage any attempt to further destabilize the relative stability most of the Somalis enjoy these days. Recognition, support, and legitimatization given to the Arta Faction by the Security Council would not absolve the Security Council and the UN as well from being in collaboration with one group in creating this mayhem and meddling in the clan-based hostilities in Somalia.
To adopt a fair and practical approach to end the Somali conflict. Somali is not yet a hopeless case. The democratically elected Puntland government, which administers one-third of Somalia, has been working hard, ever since its establishment. to bring together the southern factions as part of its national obligation to play a pivotal role in the Somali reconciliation. Puntland has been quite successful in this connection so far and as a result new Somali federal states would soon be proclaimed in many parts in the south. This would lay a solid foundation for a Federal System of Government in Somalia. This needs to be fostered and built upon.
To extend the United Nation’s institution-building drive in Somalia and assistance to the all the regions with particular emphasis on those parts which have viable local administrations – the peace dividend approach.
We would like to warn the United Nations, if we may, not to waste its well-intentioned efforts by inadvertently empowering one Faction at the expense of general good of Somalia.

Your Excellencies,

Puntland and its allied Somali political groupings would like to assure Your Excellencies that they would leave no stone unturned to reconcile our people on fair and democratic basis devoid of any clan-hegemonic ambitions or vested interests, and we seek the United Nation’s Nations assistance in that respect.

Thank you very much

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed

Puntland State President,

Garowe, Puntland State of Somalia

Encl.- Additional support documents

http://www.somaliawatch.org/archivejuly/000929601.htm - PUNTLAND POSITION ON PEACE AND NATIONAL RECONCILIATION IN SOMALIA - Update 1

http://www.somaliawatch.org/archivedec00/001227601.htm - POLICY STATEMENT BY THE STATE GOVERNMENT OF PUNTLAND.

http://www.somaliawatch.org/archivedec00/001203601.htm - Support of Some Arab Countries for the Arta (Djibouti) Faction In Mogadisho can Potentially Re-ignite the Civil War in Somalia.

http://www.somaliawatch.org/archiveoct00/001011601.htm - THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PUNTLAND STATE

http://www.somaliawatch.org/archiveoct00/001011602.htm - PUNTLAND STATE OF SOMALIA GOVERNMENT PROGRAM FOR THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD ( 1998-2001)

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