Somalia: Puntland court sentences Somaliland officials to 10 years

Somalia: Puntland court sentences Somaliland officials to 10 years

A court in Somalia's Puntland state has sentenced four officials from Somalia's separatist region of Somaliland to 10 years in prison, Radio Garowe reports.

On Wednesday, the First Degree Court of Garowe city of Puntland proceeded with criminal hearings for eight men, including officials of Somaliland administration.

The defendants were charged with illegally entering parts of Puntland and planning to commit political sabotage in favor of Somaliland, according to court documents.

After presentations by the prosecutor and defense lawyers, court judge Abdinur Jama Hussein sentenced four Somaliland officials to 10 years jail-terms.

The officials were identified as follows: Mr. Salad Ismail Mohamud, mayor of Las Anod; Mr. Saeed Ali Shire and Mr. Mohamed Ali Artan, officials of Somaliland's education ministry; and Mr. Abdirashid Abdullahi, judge of Las Anod appeals court.

Another four soldiers, who were all arrested on the same day, were sentenced to serve 5-year sentences in Puntland jails. A ninth man, identified as Sharmake Ali, was released after the court found him "not guilty" of the criminal charges.

The three vehicles the Somaliland officials were traveling in were ruled over the Puntland police.

On Aug. 11, Puntland security forces arrested 19 persons who traveled from Las Anod to Taleh district, also part of Sool region. In a press release, Puntland's government blamed Somaliland Information Minister Ahmed Abdi Habsade for "provocation" and accused him of planning to stir insecurity in the area. READ:Puntland Responds to Somaliland Provocation at Taleh District

Las Anod is the capital of Sool region, which is disputed between Somaliland's separatist administration and the Puntland state government in northern Somalia. In 2007, Somaliland forces violently seized control of Las Anod and have subsequently appointed pro-Somaliland officials to high positions, although terrorist groups have carried out multiple assassinations against Somaliland officials in Las Anod in recent years.

Somaliland's separatist administration has not responded publicly to the court ruling of its officials in Puntland. Somaliland claims ownership over Sool and Sanaag regions whose inhabitants are from Puntland clans, thereby leading to 'border' fighting between Puntland and Somaliland, regions in northern Somalia.

Puntland considers itself as part of a future federal Somalia, while Somaliland unilaterally declared independence in 1991 but has not been recognized internationally.

GAROWE ONLINE