PRESS
STATEMENT May 13, 2005 Subject: The conflict in
the Gedo Region of Somalia.
For the last few months, there has been a spate
of fighting in and around the small town of Ceelwaq
in the Gedo Region near the border with Kenya. This
was followed by acts of banditry and terrorism perpetuated
by a small band of armed men masquerading as a clan
militia fighting a rival clan for the control of
the region. While it is possible that those bandits
could all belong to a single clan, they are not
however fighting to liberate and administer a region.
They are rather just a desperate and disparate band
of hooligans looking for a new “isbaaro” near the
Kenyan border. They identified themselves as SADE
fighters confronting the Garre clan for the control
of Ceelwaaq.
It should be known first and far most that the SADE
are not the sole inhabitants of the Gedo region
and that they share that region with various clans
from the Digil-Mirifle ethnic group. Needless to
say, that the later have been ethnically cleansed
from many parts of Gedo. The heaviest cleansing
took place during the regime of Mohamed Siyad and
after the outbreak of the civil war. The last group
that stayed put was the Garre who have now been
evicted from their homes and farms. We, the people
of Digil-Mirifle hereby assert our inalienable rights
to our homes and farms in Ceelwaaq, Baardheere,
Doolo and Luuq. We wish to bring to the notice of
the leaders of the Interim Government and the international
community that if the so-called SADE does not handover
our properties back to us, we will be duty bound
to evict them with all forces at our disposal.
While the Somali people everywhere are busy talking
peace for the whole country, a few desperate gunmen
fronting for the local “mafia” are busy setting
up “isbaaros” in new areas. They are also poisoning
our good neighborly relations with the people of
Kenya by robbing wayfarers on Kenya Highways, something
that these same bandits did before they were evicted
about two years ago. They are now back and so is
the spate of insecurity in the entire region. We
hereby serve notice to all reasonable and peace
loving men from the SADE clans to rein on their
young men and remove all “isbaaros” and stop the
harassment of ordinary civilians in the Gedo region.
We also call upon them to withdraw these hooligans
from the border areas so that they do not spoil
the good name of the Somali people, especially that
of resident in the Gedo region.
We, the Digil-Mirifle people of Gedo Region are
running out of patience and will take the matters
into our own hands unless the SADE elders empower
themselves and remove the thugs who are committing
crimes in their name. SADE leaders and elders especially
the Marexaan ones, will be held accountable unless
and until they publicly disassociate themselves
from these hooligans and declare them outlaws. Then
we the Digil-Mirifle and all other peace loving
people will be dealing with the outlaws and evict
them from the region forcefully.
We hereby give notice to all concerned, including
the local and international NGOs that Gedo Region
is from now onwards to be considered a war zone
and that help should be extended to the displaced
people now camping on the Kenyan side of the border
area.
M. HAJI ABDULKADIR North American Representative
DIGIL-MIRIFLE (Garre Branch).
Ahmed.Shukri@usar.army.mil
