Securing Puntland at Whose Expense?
Boosaaso (SDN) -City officials in Boosaaso are calling on security forces in Bari region to ensure public safety in the region’s major cities which have recently seen a rise in insecurity.
Colonel Ismaan Hassan Afdaloow told journalists that the army is prepared to tackle insecurity in Bari region. He also stated that they are ready to take the necessary steps against those that are involved to activities contrary to the rule of law and public safety.
The armed forces of Puntland’s regional administration has been under pressure to clamp down on crime, some are calling for them to profile and target people from the southern regions of Somalia. Most of the occupants of Puntland jails are from southern Somalia.
The killing of a South African foreigner working for the security firm Saracen International with the Puntland government to train soldiers in anti-piracy maybe the reason behind the recent calls for increased security in Puntland. However, profiling and targeting Somalis from other regions appears to be a knee-jerk reaction to broader issues of the government’s capacity to protect its citizens. Moreover, the majority of newcomers from southern parts of Somalia living in Puntland are internally displaced people who fled insecurity, drought and famine. The criminalization of an already vulnerable population can only lead to more hostility and insecurity.
SDN-Boosaaso