- Title: [SW Country]( Press Statements) THE ARTA FACTION IS
SABOTAGING THE NATIONAL ECONOMY BY IMPORTING FAKE CURRENCY AND IS VIOLATING THE UN
ARMS EMBARGO
- Posted by/on:[AAJ][17 Feb 2001]
PRESS STATEMENT
February 17, 2001
THE ARTA FACTION IS SABOTAGING THE NATIONAL ECONOMY BY
IMPORTING FAKE CURRENCY AND IS VIOLATING THE UN ARMS EMBARGO
The leaders of Puntland State, Southwest and Central
Somalia Regions condemn the Arta/TNG Faction in
Mogadishu for national economic sabotage and
destabilization. They have been importing into the
country and printing hundreds of billions of fake
Somali Shilling currency notes in the past week. The
Arta Faction’s self-appointed “Prime Minister”, Ali
Khalif Gallayr, admitted this week that they were
ready to flood the country with the staggering amount
of 60 billion newly printed Somali Shillings. Ignoring
the international community’s advice to engage in
dialogue and reconciliation, they embarked on armed
aggression against regions in the central and
Southwest Somalia. The Arta Faction has now further
resorted to economic sabotage in a desperate bid to
survive few more weeks or months.
This excessive and unnecessary new currency shipment
had immediate disruptive and destabilization effect in
the life of the people in Mogadishu and in the rest of
the country. As a result, the Somali Shilling, which
has been relatively stable in the last 7 years at
Shs.8, 000 to 12,000 to the US$, sky-rocketed to
between Shs. 15,000 to 20,000 to the US$ within the
last 34 days adversely affecting prices and the daily
lives of already hard pressed population. It also
seriously threatens the peace of stable States and
regions of Somalia.
According to well informed sources in Mogadishu, money
printing equipment capable to produce daily large
amounts of fake Somali, USA, Kenyan and Ethiopian
currencies has been imported and installed in
Mogadishu by the Arta Faction through Djibouti
business tycoons.
VIOLATION OF THE UN ARMS EMBARGO
We are deeply concerned of the arrival in Mogadishu of
new arms shipments from Djibouti for the Arta Faction
in violation of the UN arms embargo in Somalia. Both
Arta Faction and the Djibouti government are in clear
violation of the UN embargo. Djibouti should be
condemned for this violation for its continued
interference in the internal affairs of Somalia. It is
an open secret that General Galaal has been in Eastern
Europe shopping for much larger and more sophisticated
weapons on behalf of the Arta Faction and in the name
of the Djibouti government. It must be understood that
if the Arta Faction is allowed to have new arms, new
fake currency and new international aid, it will be
seriously exasperate the civil strife in Somalia.
We call on all concerned Somali leaders and the
international community to condemn Arta Faction’s
reckless and dangerous adventures and prevent further
irresponsible behavior.
Signed by :
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed Puntland State President
Hassan Nur Hassan Shatigaduud
RRA Chairman
Omar Haji Mohamed
SNF Leader
Hassan Abdulle Qalaad
Hiran Region Governor
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