Puntland President responds to UN Monitoring Group report on Somalia

Garowe – The President of Somalia’s Puntland Government, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali has arrived back in Galkayo on Thursday after a visit to Mogadishu for national consultative forum, Garowe Online reports.

Speaking to reporters at Abdullahi Yusuf International Airport, President Ali sidestepped allegations of security failures in United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea report, accusing media of misquoting potential corruption in fishing license sales.

UN report acknowledged deteriorating security situation in Puntland due to delayed pays or lack of salaries for security forces, and sacking of senior security commanders.

Puntland President dodged a question over United Nations report with ‘only, the existence of forged licenses of illegal trawlers’.

Ali instead criticized the press for taking swipe at United Nations Monitoring Group report on Somalia.

Under ‘potential corruption in the sale of fishing licenses’, the report said, Ali’s administration gave license to a company owned by Abdiweli Ali Taar, who shares kinship with him.

The Somali Security Service Ltd. was poised to receive 30 pc of government revenue obtained from ‘fishing license sales’ and fines imposed on captured vessels. In October 2014, the same report accused Puntland President of adopting ‘catch and release policy’ that contributed to increasing insurgency.

On national consultative conference in Mogadishu, Ali said that Puntland presented its views on format for transition in 2016 over the course of the meeting.

Officials and hundreds clad in Somalia and Puntland flags welcomed him to Galkayo.