Friday July 15, 2022
Garowe (HOL) - Puntland regional state President, Said Abdullahi Deni, has announced that his administration would spend $ 1 million on responding to the drought in Puntland.
President Deni made the announcement at the Puntland drought relief conference in Garowe on Thursday night for drought victims.
"We are launching the Puntland Drought Fund. The government will contribute one million dollars to the Fund, and a drought committee made up of scholars and business people will manage the operations," said President Deni.
Somalia's special envoy for drought, Abdirahman Abdishakur, welcomed President Deni's commitment, saying the pledge could contribute to relieving the drought. Abdishakur added that he spoke with the Puntland president about the turning-back of a Bosaso-bound humanitarian plane on Monday and the ensuing violent standoff between two rival Puntland regional military units that claimed the lives of over a dozen.
Abdishakur said that cooperation between the federal and state governments is crucial to managing drought response efforts and called on leaders not to politicize the relief effort.
The plane was travelling with a delegation led by the first deputy speaker of the Somali parliament, Saido Yasin Samatar.
Puntland interior minister Mohamed Abdirahman Dhabanad told local media that the delegation did not contact authorities to arrange for a reception. However, Sadiyo Yasin Samatar denied allegations by the Puntland regional state that the provincial administration was unaware of her humanitarian trip to Bossaso.
The death toll in the confrontation between Puntland Security Forces (PSF) and Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) climbed to 16 people. The fighting was sparked when PSF forces waiting to escort the delegation clashed with PMPF forces implementing the order from regional authorities.