Illegal Arrest and Detention of Warsangeli Garbsare Traditional Elders in Erigavo

The Garbsare Diaspora communities, as well as those back in Somalia, condemns in the strongest terms the illegal detention and arrest of Garbsare traditional elders who were in Erigavo, the capital of Sanaag region, taking part in peaceful and conflict resolution negotiations between the Garabsare community and the Habar Younis community; regarding the Shidan conflict. These negotiations were supposed to be conducted in Erigabo, under the auspices of a visiting delegation from Somaliland`s Upper House of Elders.

An armed Habar Yonis sub-clan militia attacked the residents of Shidan village on November 28 and 29, 2019, which resulted in several deaths, injuries and the displacement of residents. These developments are part of land-grabbing and clan-driven expansionist strategy, supported by the Somaliland Administration to settle Habar Yonis sub-clans in Warsangeli territory, including one of the last remaining forestry range in Somalia.

The village of Shidan is inhibited by Warsangeli, Garabsare subclan and has been a permanent residence with homes for the past 300 years. Shidan also hosts a variety of historical aromatic trees, such as Boswellia sacra (frankincense) and Commiphora myrrha (myrrh).

The Somaliland authority, as part of its expansionist one-clan secessionist policy, has used the International Aid, provided by the international community, to conquer and occupy non-Isaaq clan territories in Sool, Sanaag, and Awdal regions. Also the unwitting accomplice of these expansionist policies are foreign governments and international NGOs that provide funding aimed at development and institutional building to ‘Somaliland’ authorities. But instead, these societal humanitarian aid, is used by Somaliland authorities to buy weapons and other resources to invade other clans’ territories, resulting  displacement of residents and resettlement of the land by their clans.

Garabsare Global Diasporas Communities wishes to draw the immediate attention of the governments of the UK, Denmark, Netherlands, and NGOs, such as Somaliland Development Fund, Care International, Oxam, Zam-Zam foundation, Candlight, who it seems are funding some of these clan-driven land-grabbing projects.

We call upon the funders of these projects to immediately refrain from funding and supporting projects in Somaliland or anywhere else, which contributes to conflicts resulting in the displacement of the local inhabitants.  One such example, is what is going on in Shidan, a Grabsare traditional historical territory, inhabited for centuries, by the Garabsare sub-clan of the Warsangheli of Sanaag Region.   

We call upon the Somaliland authorities to immediately release the Garbasre elders without preconditions and respect the human rights of the Warsangeli community in Sanaag region.

Maakhir United Council      contact@maakhirunitedcouncil.org