OMALILAND MINISTER OF DEFENSE Mr. CADAMI ACCUSED OF IMPEDING EFFORTS TO STOP THE DESTRUCTION OF FORESTS SITUATED IN GOOF, CERIGAABO
 
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For a period of time, Somalis living in certain rural areas have been adversely affected by the total destruction of their forests on which their livestock are completely dependent. This has been compounded by the fact that the forests themselves have been targeted by profiteers who seek to completely destroy them and use the remnants of the forests as firewood / charcoal by then sending it abroad for financial gain with scant concern for the residual impact on the local community and environment. This phenomenon has affected a region of Sanaag, in particular, a specific community situated in the vicinity of Cerigaabo which is well known for its surrounding rain forests which people rely on for their livelihood.
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This deforestation and subsequent use of the rain forests as charcoal has been a major blow to the Soolgeriyo community which is situated on land estimated to measure 30 square kilometres. Within the Goof area of this community, the actual burning down of their forests has been going on for a period of over ten years. This completely avoidable man-made disaster has been altogether sidestepped by a succession of Somaliland government administrations as well as a number of international aid agencies.
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After the local Soolgeriyo community realised that their rain forests had been almost 70% eradicated and that they could no longer rely on outsiders to help them, a group of well to do local community leaders (with the help of Allah) took it upon themselves to at the very least rescue what remained of their pastoral land and rain forests　　(which they have succeeded in doing)　as the charcoal was apparently being exported via the port of Boosaaso. The community leaders have also launched a far-reaching awareness campaign in order to bring this unfortunate series of events to the forefront of the local community’s agenda.
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With the community elders having succeeded in preventing further illegal deforestation, the 6th Armed Brigade of the Somaliland National Army whose headquarters are based in Cerigaabo then sent a unit of 30 soldiers charged with protecting the region’s arable land and remaining unaffected rain forests. The local community actually contributed to this operation by allowing them to use their own vehicles as well as donating towards costs linked with safeguarding the local environment.
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Recently, the Somaliland Defense Minister, Axmed X.Cali Cadami who was on a visit to Cerigaabo was apparently informed that an articulated lorry emanating from Puntland had been apprehended whilst illegally transporting loads of charcoal. The minister then ordered that the driver and the lorry be released in order to avoid the possibility of stoking hostilities, a decision that was met with a degree of scepticism. Unfortunately, this had a knock on effect on the army unit entrusted with protecting the Goof area who then felt that they would therefore be unable to continue in their safeguarding mission and decided to return to their barracks. The Defence Minister then reassured the locals that he would send a new army unit to pick up where the previous one left off, fully equipped with their own supplies and means of transportation.　
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Regrettably, the minister has to date not fulfilled his own pledge and this has led some on the ground to believe that his intention is indeed deliberate prevarication. Unsurprisingly, this has caused the burning down of SoolGeriyo’s rain forests to resume at a faster rate of knots than was previously the case. As a result, the local community feels that they may be left with no choice but to form a CLAN MILITIA in order to take matters of local environmental protection into their own hands. We therefore would strongly like to request that Minister Caddami swiftly keeps his promise of sending an elite army unit to Goof. 　Without this, efforts to prevent similar events in the future will become undoubtedly more and more complicated.
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SHAXAN ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP.
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Ceerigaabo
