Somalia: Puntland accuses Somaliland of smuggling illegal arms

Puntland has accused the breakaway region of Somaliland smuggling in illegal arms which could be a threat to the region’s stability, an official has said.
Puntland’s Minister of Security Hassan Osman Alore said that they have found evidences that a shipment of ammunitions and other military equipments was destined for Somaliland which he sees as a threat to the region’s stability.
Officials from the breakaway region insisted earlier this week that they had seized a Sudanese-registered ship while it was offloading other goods and had started investigations on the  exact destination of the shipment.
Further reports claim that the Somaliland officials refused access to the ship a UN team which was supposed to carry out investigations, but they denied.
‘’ We have found out that the recent ship docked in Berbera port was destined to Somaliland and are owners of the weapons. Part of those arms are also owned by al-Shabaab terrorists which they have collaboration,’’ the minister said in a Press Conference held in Garowe on Friday.
Mr Alore accused the separatists of violating a 1992 UN security council resolution that banned the importing of arms into Somalia.
He added that Somaliland has financially supported the al-Shabaab militants hiding in Galgala mountains and have trained the militants in its regions.
Puntland and Somaliland have had territorial disputes over the Sool and Sanag regions in the past decade, in which some occasions troops from both entities clashed.
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