Puntland elders ask former leader to leave Garowe

Traditional elders in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, have asked the former leader, Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf, to leave Garowe, the regional capital, a local journalist told IRIN on Tuesday.

Garowe area elders, led by Islan Muhammad Islan Muse and Sultan Sa'id Muhammad Garase, read out a statement on Sunday to a gathering of Garowe residents, calling on Abdullahi Yusuf and his rival, the current Puntland president, Jama Ali Jama, to leave and to withdraw their militias from the town, said Farah Yusuf Nur, a freelance journalist based in Garowe.

Jama Ali Jama, who is currently based in Bosaso, the region's commercial capital, said he agreed with the elders' wishes as he had no militia in Garowe, a senior adviser to Jama told IRIN. "There is not a single militiaman belonging to Jama in Garowe, so he has no problem with the demand," he said.

Abdullahi Yusuf, who was handed a copy of the statement on Saturday, has not issued any official comment. "He is still in Garowe, and there is no indication as to whether he will leave or not," Farah Yusuf Nur said. However, other sources in Garowe told IRIN there were reports of Abdullahi Yusuf moving on to Qardo or Bosaso, to the northeast of Garowe.

Meanwhile, elders in Galkayo in the south of Puntland, which is Abdullahi Yusuf's home area, were reportedly divided over whether or not Abdullahi Yusuf should leave Garowe, Dahir Aflow of the Galkayo-based weekly 'Bulsho' told IRIN. They had been meeting to discuss the Garowe elders' statement "but have so far failed to reach agreement", he said. Aflow added that the elders were divided between "those who want Abdullahi to stay in Garowe and those who want him to return to Galkayo".

On 21 November 2001, forces loyal to Abdullahi Yusuf attacked and captured Garowe from those of the recently elected Puntland president, Jama Ali Jama. At least 12 people were killed in the fighting, with many more wounded, local sources told IRIN at the time. The fighting also displaced many people, who fled the town in fear of renewed violence. Most of the displaced have now returned.