Somaliland President partially pardons Sanaag Rebels

HARGEISA (CBATV) – Somaliland president Muse Bihi Abdi announce pardoning the soldiers of the insurgent group led by Col Awil Saeed Aarre that is based in the north of the Sanaag region. The president, however, rejected to grant the leader of the rebel group an outright pardon.

The much-anticipated meeting of president Muse Bihi and the peace committee of traditional leaders and elders of the Sanaag region tasked with ending the insurgency of colonel Aare has come on Sunday. The elders met with President Muse Bihi at his private residence in Hargeisa.

Led by Sultan Mohamed Hersi Qani, the elders plead with the president to pardon the insurgent group including its leader and to integrate it with the national army.

Sultan Hersi Qani said that the elders, the present, and many others who were left behind are asking the president to grant Aarre a pardon, to integrate the militia within the national army, to process the weapons, and to bring this to an end within days. Believing that all this depends on one word from the president.

President Muse Bihi accepted that plea partially. He readily pardoned the foot soldiers but refused to grant the leader of the rebels a pardon. Instead, he said the officer’s pardon should go through the military court procedures.

President Muse Bihi said that ” The army is divided into officers and soldiers. They are different. The boys out there, with the exception of their leader that you have named, from this hour I pardoned them from all crimes. And I am ready to have special task force to reintegrate them back to the national forces. The law allows me that. But for the officer (Col. Aarre), we need to go through a legal procedure to grant him a pardon.

The mediators seemed dejected with the president’s offer. Nevertheless, they accepted it as the second-best outcome.

Sultan Hersi Qani concluded with a controversial quote saying that “If the wisdom of the government could not save us from each other, let our own wisdom safe us. We accept this as it is. “

The traditional leaders now are faced with the monumental task of selling this deal to Col Awil Saeed Jama (Colonel Aare) and also convincing the absent elders.