Renewed fighting in Puntland

Heavy fighting was raging near the village of Berta Boqorka, near the town of Qardho some 280 km northeast of Garowe, regional capital of the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, on Tuesday, according to local media sources.

Forces loyal to the region's former president, Col Abdullahi Yusuf, were reportedly engaged in fierce fighting with forces loyal to Puntland's current president, Jama Ali Jama, according to Adan Abdirahman Dolar of the Garowe-based Nugal Times newspaper.

Abdullahi Yusuf, left Garowe early on Monday morning, leading between 600 and 800 militia members, along with 30 "technicals" (pick-ups mounted with heavy weapons), according to Dolar.

The fighting comes hard on the heels of the failure of mediation efforts between the two rival leaders by Ethiopia in Addis Ababa last week.

Abdullahi was engaged in an operation, code-named "Puntland Stability First", aimed at restoring law and order in the region, a press release issued on Monday by Abdullahi's chief of cabinet, Isma'il Warsame, stated.

Dolar told IRIN that, according to latest reports from Qardho, Abdullahi's forces captured this strategic town at around 11 am local time (08:00 GMT).

"Abdullahi Yusuf's forces are in total control of Qardho. They reportedly captured the town without meeting much resistance because elders intervened and asked Jama's forces to withdraw," he said.

Jama Ali Jama was said to be advancing towards Qardho from Bosaso, the region's commercial capital, to reinforce his troops after their withdrawal from the town, Dolar added.

Sources in Bosaso told IRIN on Tuesday that "a large number of militia left the town early this morning" on their way to Qardho. They said people in Bosaso were expecting Abdullahi Yusuf to advance on the town after consolidating his grip on Qardho.

"If the people of Bosaso remain united in their opposition to Abdullahi Yusuf, then he will be hard put to capture it," they said.

There were already reports indicating that Abdullahi's forces had left Qardho and were moving towards Bosaso, Dolar said. The situation remained very fluid, and all telecommunications with Qardho had been cut, he added.

Other sources told IRIN that Abdullahi would in all probability capture his main target, the port town of Bosaso, soon, but they questioned his ability to establish authority and rule. "The question is, 'Will he be able to govern?'," they pointed out.

The controversy over Puntland's leadership started after Abdullahi Yusuf, whose term of office ended on 30 June 2001, claimed that his mandate had been extended by parliament.

Puntland's traditional elders, meeting in Garowe in July, rejected his claim to an extended mandate and named Yusuf Haji Nur, Puntland's former chief justice, as "acting president" until the election of a new administration.

The elders subsequently convened a general congress to this end in August 2001 and, on 14 November, elected Jama Ali for a three-year term in the hope that this would end the leadership wrangles.

Puntland declared itself autonomous in 1998, following a conference of local elders. Abdullahi Yusuf was then elected as the region's first president for a three-year term.