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| Africa Horn |
| Gunmen Open Fire On Puntland Finance Minister's Vehicle |
| 2008-03-22 |
| A group of unidentified armed men opened gunfire on a convoy transporting Puntland Finance Minister Mohamed "Gaagaab" Ali as the vehicles drove through town in the port of Bossaso, witnesses said. No one was reported hurt, but the incident underscored the growing trend of criminal acts in the relatively quiet regional autonomy in northeast Somalia. Minister Gaagaab was quickly transported to his hotel in Bossaso, where extra armed police were deployed to keep guard. Puntland police have not yet identified the attackers. Conflicting reports are emerging with regard to the identity of the gunmen. One unconfirmed report said that the gunmen are members of the Puntland security forces, who are angry with the Ministry of Finance for the nonpayment of wages during the last five months. Sources close to Finance Minister Gaagaab suggested that the gunmen who attacked his convoy are soldiers loyal to Abdullahi Said Samatar, the region's recently-appointed Minister of Security. An internal dispute has lingered between Mr. Gaagaab and Mr. Samatar since January, when Puntland President Adde Muse appointed former police official Samatar to head the Ministry of Security. Samatar has demanded that his Ministry's budget be independent of Gaagaab, who personally manages the government's finances, including all the ministries' budgets. |
| Posted by:Fred |