Somalia: Suspicion as 40 sport utility trucks unload at Puntland port 14 Apr 14, 2008 - 5:17:45 PM
BOSSASO, Somalia Apr 14 (Garowe Online) - A ship from the United Arab Emirates has been docked at the northern Somali port of Bossaso where security forces unloaded at least 40 Toyota sport utility vehicles over the past two days, confidential sources tell Garowe Online.
Port employees who chose to remain anonymous said the trucks were unloaded "free of charge" by senior officials from the Puntland Intelligence Agency (PIS), the reportedly CIA-funded intelligence arm of the Puntland regional government.
The vehicles were transported to the Bossaso home of an individual named Liban Muse Bogor, a relative of Puntland President Adde Muse, the sources said.
Mr. Bogor, a citizen of Canada, is a member of the board of directors of Range Resources, Ltd., a small mining company based in Australia that claims exploration rights to Puntland after signing a controversial deal in 2005 with President Muse.
In Somalia, sport utility vehicles are equipped with heavy artillery weapons and transformed to armored trucks known locally as "technicals" – war-torn Somalia's version of a tank.
It is not clear why the Puntland administration has imported these Toyota trucks at this time, but local residents remain suspicious about the hidden motives of the Puntland leadership.
Some unconfirmed reports suggested that foreign companies with interests to explore in Puntland have paid local rulers money to buy more weapons, presumably to suppress local resistance to the controversial exploration plans of Puntland leaders and their foreign partners.
Other reports said that the Muse administration is attempting to rebuild its security forces and restore order after an unprecedented rise in criminal activities, including piracy, human trafficking and shootings.
Source: Garowe Online
RRS Price at posting:
0.0¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
