As an observer in Puntland affairs for the last 9 years, I have witnessed many stories unfolded, sad ones and good ones, the birth of Puntland State of Somalia was a moment of joy for many inhabitants of Northern and East regions of Somalia.

The population of these regions had common interest and have held discussions in order to establish an administration which will safeguard their safety and distribute  resources amongst themselves until a federal government comes to active operation. They agreed that Puntland will occupy the northeastern portion of the area compromising the post-colonial Somali republic, which in 1960 joined the former Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland into a single state.

The birth of Puntland also triggered the concept of  decentralization as a viable alternative until Mogadishu and the rest of the country's security improves and settles.

Prior to the establishment of Puntland, there was Somaliland which declared its independence from Somalia in 1991 but has never been recognized by any international body or local government. The rise of Puntland, therefore,  angered Somaliland's authority in Hargeisa since the Somaliland was based on colonial borders between British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland and therefore laid claim over Sanaag and Sool regions.

The Map above shows the regional borders of Puntland with new regions called Karkaar which meant to give Ade Muse's subclan a bigger role when it comes to managing Puntland, but the new region of Karkaar imbricated into Sool, which led to military clashes  in 2003 and still there are opposing forces of its implementation outside of Las Anod, the biggest city in Sool Region.

Sanaag Region, which is the second biggest region in Somalia as a whole has had peace and tranquility that other regions in Somalia lacked. However, when Puntland was established the echo of civil war started ringing as some of the inhabitants of this region did indeed want it to be part of Somaliland.

Sanaag Region consists of five main districts,  four out of the five is inhabited by the Warsangelis, districts of Laasqoray, Badhan, Dhahar and Erigavo is by any larger or over all inhabited by the Warsangelis, who are counted as one of the fourth biggest Darod Clans and have the oldest Sultanate in the  horn of Africa.

In Puntland, the first de-stabilizing attempt did occur when Ade Muse forces were defeated by those of Abdullahi Yusuf, the current President of TFG. Fleeing Ade Muse asked refuge the Warsangelis, whom refused him sanctuary.  He then went to and formed his base in the district of Eil Afweyn which is the Fifth district of Sanaag , a city in which the local inhabitants are loyal to the Somaliland Authority.

Abdullahi Yusuf chose not to attack the base of Ade at Eil Afweyn and finally the Warsangeli Sultan and King of the Haber Je’lo of Isaaq led a peace effort which finally has been accepted by both warring factions.

The picture shows, Ade Muse with Sultan of Warsangelis in Badhan during Ade's Campaign to become the Puntland Leader. He later betrayed the same people that supported him during his campaign and waged wars.

Since Ade Muse came to power, the Sanaag region has seen and lived on the roller coaster as its stability got jeopardized by the Puntland Authority when Adde sent some of his ragtag militia to guard a mining village of Majiyahan and which led to bloody battle between the Warsangelis and Puntland militia in quest of occupying Majihan by force,  but was finally handed their first defeat on 13 April 2006.

The Sanaag region did not only experience war and clashes, but it has also been neglected by the Puntland and its Interior department did not bother even paying the serving army from Sanaag and Western Bari, a repeated pattern the Warsangeli clan saw as humiliation.

These events was conducive to the idea of creating new Regional government named as Maakhir State of Somalia, which is independent of Puntland and Somaliland and will put itself under the Federal Government.

The map above shows the new state of Maakhir State of Somalia

The main idea is that the Sanaag Region and Western Bari did not benefit from Puntland State and all the allocated funds that aid agencies earmarked for these areas never reached, therefore we should administer our territories and govern our affairs. Puntland failed in these regions, mainly due to bad management, corruption, isolation,  and lack of respect for those who inhabit in these areas.

Maakhir State of Somalia's regional flag.

Another argument was that if this vast area which the international bodies and aid agencies named as disputed territory does administer itself then the argument of that this area is disputed will no longer be there.

As whole, Puntland never took off in these regions, mainly due to corruption, nepotism that only benefited one Harti subclan,  this forced the locals of Maakhir state to build and declare their own regional government.

The rise of Maakhir idea has now spread and become clear that this will soon or later be the case, the Diaspora supported this idea and saw this decentralization as solution for the lack of development for the Sanaag Region and Western Bari.

Col Jibrell Ali Salad, a former soldier and governor of Togdher and Lower Juba (Kismayo) took this idea and traveled across Sanaag and Western Bari to sell the idea to the local population.

The image shows Col Jibrell giving speeches in Badhan on the 1st of July 2007

Col Salad visited vast areas of Western part of Sanaag and visited cities such as Erigavo,  Dahar, Damalla Hagare, Armale, Yube and gave speeches to the local population which in return the population and the local elders agreed to the idea of Maakhir State of Somalia

Col Salad, also visited the rest of Sanaag cities such as Hadaftimo, Eil-Bu, Hingalol, Dhahar, Buraan and some small villages in western Bari and repeated the same speeches and the local elders and population welcomed the idea of Maakhir State of Somalia. 

Elders in Sanaag also did welcome the idea of Maakhir State of Somalia, here seen in the picture above; they have come from all over Sanaag to participate the Badhan ceremony.

Finally, the biggest break through came on the 1stf of July this year, 2007, when the soldiers from Puntland and those from Somaliland entered the Badhan City , the capital city for the new state, and gave salute to Mr Salad and accepted him as the Commander in Chief.

As the picture above shows, the Former Somaliland conscript and Puntland conscript joining side by side to give their loyalty to the new authority,

As the picture above shows, again the commanders of the Former Somaliland soldiers and Puntland soldiers giving military salute to the new authority

This milestone has led to jubilation that the birth of Maakhir state was for real, the following weeks the new authority started to collect rubbish from the main towns and re-arranged the security forces.

The rise of Maakhir State of Somalia in Sanaag and western Bari will undoubtedly improve the security and development,  which these areas need badly due to lack of central government.

However, Roads and ports are needed in order to improve the economy of this new state and also, hospitals are badly needed as the entire state has only two functioning hospitals, one in Badhan and the second one in Dhahar.

There are still ongoing talks between the elders of Maakhir in order to establish legislators and then choose its speaker; also there are more discussions on the distribution of ministries and governors.

Raz Shirwa. [razshirwa@gmail.com]

Badhan, Maakhir State of Somalia