Puntland peace talks underway

Talks are underway to end conflict in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, Puntland's acting information minister told IRIN on Thursday.

Abdishakur Mire Adan said the talks - being held in the commercial capital Bosaso - between his administration and "the armed opposition" led by General Ade Muse Hirsi were "going very well".

Ade Muse, an ally of the rival claimant to the Puntland presidency, Jama Ali Jama, arrived in Bosaso on Monday. This followed a three-month mediation effort by Boqor Usman Aw Mahmud and Sultan Sa'id Sultan Abdisalam, both elders from the disputed region of Sanaag, said Abdishakur.

Controversy over Puntland's leadership has been increasingly vocal since June 2001, when Abdullahi Yusuf, whose presidential term ended then, claimed that the region's parliament had extended his mandate.

A number of Puntland traditional elders meeting in the regional capital, Garowe, in July 2001 rejected his claim, and named Yusuf Haji Nur, Puntland's former chief justice, as "acting president" until the election of a new administration. The elders then convened a general congress in August and, on 14 November 2001, elected Jama Ali Jama as president for a three-year term in the hope that this would end the leadership wrangle. Abdullahi Yusuf recaptured Bosaso from Jama Ali Jama in May 2002.

The recent talks have been shrouded in secrecy, with neither side issuing details of the proceedings. A source close to Ade Muse told IRIN that it was too early to issue any statements. "We are still talking and discussing issues," he said. "Nothing has been finalised, so we cannot issue official statements."

Jama Ali Jama, who is said to be uninvolved in these talks, told IRIN that he welcomed "any initiative to resolve disagreements peacefully". However, he added that "any comment will have to wait until we know what any agreement may involve".

Ade Muse and his forces were reportedly warmly welcomed by the population in Bosaso, according to a local journalist. "Many people want this to be the end of the fighting and the power struggle of the past two years, that is why so many people came out to welcome them," he said.