BELETWEIN, Somalia May 3 (Garowe Online) – The Ethiopian Woyanne army is collecting taxes in frontier districts along the country’s shared border with Somalia, a former district official has said.
Abdirahman Buruki, a former deputy mayor in Beletwein, the capital of Hiran region, told journalists Saturday that Ethiopian Woyanne soldiers along the Kala-Beyr border crossing are causing “a lot of problems” for civilian and commercial traffic traveling between Somalia and Ethiopia.
Mr. Buruki, who resigned from his post a month ago, indicated that the Ethiopian Woyanne soldiers are accompanied by former Hiran regional government officials.
He stated that tens of trucks are filed in a line near the Kala-Beyr crossing, adding that the Kala-Beyr mayor informed him personally that the soldiers are collecting “illegal” taxes while accusing the Ethiopian Woyanne soldiers of “torture” in some cases.
According to Mr. Buruki, former Hiran Governor Yusuf Daboged is “no longer a government official,” although he is in Kala-Beyr alongside the Ethiopian Woyanne army commanders running the illegal operation.
Somali Prime Minister Nur “Adde” Hassan Hussein has recently appointed a new administration for Hiran region, but many of the newly appointed officials have publicly rejected their posts.
PM Hassan Grilled in Parliament
The interim Prime Minister of Somalia, Nur “Adde” Hassan Hussein, was grilled with questions on the parliament floor Thursday, where he tried to defend the credibility of his administration.
Prime Minister Nur Adde, who returned to the south-central city of Baidoa yesterday, told lawmakers that his four-month-old administration is continuing to pursue national reconciliation to end Somalia’s 18-year civil war.
“My administration is trying hard to stop all the raging conflicts, to help Somalis understand each other and to establish a consensus government,” Prime Minister Nur Adde said.
He admitted that there is general insecurity across the country, citing the lack of resources as a primary factor crippling the transitional government’s ability to secure the country.
“After research, we have found that the security forces are not paid and do not receive food [on the regular],” the Prime Minister said, adding that the government will train security forces with a national character to help restore order in Somalia.
The Prime Minister was asked several questions by the MPs, but his responses were concise and at times vague, according to parliamentary insiders.
It was later decided that the parliament would continue questioning Prime Minister Nur Adde at a later date.
Officials reject government posts
Yesterday, a decree issued from the Office of the Prime Minister appointed a new administration for the central Hiran region after former Governor Yusuf Daboged was chased out of the provincial capital Beletwein by Islamist guerrillas last month.
Prime Minister Nur Adde appointed 15 officials to hold various government posts in Hiran, including the governor, the mayor of Beletwein, and commanders of the military and police.
But at least seven officials named by the Prime Minister for Hiran region have publicly rejected their posts.
The two deputy governors, three deputy district commissioners and the regional military commander have all refused to accept their posts.
Col. Ahmed Elmi Guute told Garowe Online that he is “not ready” to hold the post of Hiran regional army commander, especially in light of the recent assassination of the last man to hold the post.
Beletwein has lacked an effective regional government for the past two weeks.