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The authorities in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland have denied asking the UN to leave, stating they will cooperate fully with the UN and other international aid agencies.
Abdishakur Mire Adan, the Puntland deputy information minister, reacting to local media reports told IRIN on Wednesday that Puntland had not asked the UN to withdraw its staff. "Puntland has not asked the UN or, for that matter, any other agency to leave Puntland," he said.
The Mogadishu-based HornAfrik radio reported on Tuesday that Puntland had asked the UN to withdraw all its expatriate staff.
"Puntland Minister of International Cooperation and Planning Hasan Ahmad has told me that the UN withdrew its staff due a technical problem, but they are expected to return soon," Abdishakur said.
A UN statement confirmed that the UN had temporarily relocated three staff members for "technical reasons".
"This week, the UN temporarily sent three international aid workers from Bosaso to another location for technical reasons, and they are expected to return within a few days," said the statement, issued on Wednesday by the Office of the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.
It went on to say that the UN reiterated its commitment to the full implementation of the Memorandum of Cooperation recently signed between the international aid community and the authorities in Puntland.
"Puntland is fully committed to cooperate with all aid agencies, including those in the UN system, in the delivery of much-needed services to the people of Puntland and those in the rest of Somalia," Abdishakur asserted.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
