SOMALIA: Bosaso back to normal

U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

SOMALIA: Bosaso back to normal

NAIROBI, 9 May (IRIN) - Bosaso, the commercial capital of the self-declared
autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, was reported to be calm
and returning to normal on Thursday, a day after it had fallen without a
fight to forces of Col Abdullahi Yusuf, a local journalist told IRIN.

Bosaso was captured on Wednesday from the forces of the recently elected
president of Puntland, Jama Ali Jama, by those of the region's former
leader, Abdullahi Yusuf. The journalist said the town was now quiet, with
"businesses reopening". "It is almost as if nothing has happened. It is back
to business as usual," he added.

Isma'il Warsame, Abdullahi Yusuf's chief of cabinet, told IRIN on Wednesday
that "the president is busy today in meetings with people from all walks of
life in Bosaso. He is talking about healing the wounds in a spirit of
reconciliation." According Isma'il, Abdullahi's message is: "No revenge,
let's work for the return of law and order in Puntland."

Isma'il said that after the consolidation of peace and stability in
Puntland, Abdullahi would "move on to national reconciliation in Somalia".
"We will talk to any entity in Somalia to establish an inclusive, federal
government for Somalia," he said.

Meanwhile, the Puntland authorities of Abdullahi Yusuf are warning the
staffs of UN agencies, EU and international NGOs "to stay away from Puntland
of Somalia until further notice", according to an official circular made
available to IRIN on Thursday. The document said the decision to issue the
warning had been reached because "the decision to evacuate the staff of
these organisations from Bosaso had neither been coordinated with nor
communicated to the legitimate authorities of the State".

The circular also said "some of these organisations have been engaged in
activities incompatible with their stated mission objectives".

Asked to comment on the warning, Sonya Green, the UN spokeswoman in Nairobi,
told IRIN on Thursday: "We are seeking further clarifications from the
authorities in Puntland and exploring implications. The UN is still present
in the area through national staff."

[ENDS]

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