Puntland is a region in northeastern Somalia, centered around Garowe (Nugaal region), whose leaders in 1998 declared it to be an autonomous state. The current government apparently sees the move as an attempt to reconstitute Somalia as a federative republic . The name is derived from the Land of Punt mentioned by ancient Egyptian sources, which is believed by some to have existed in what is now Somalia.
History
Puntland considered itself as an autonomous state within Somalia. In 1969, when Somalia's government was toppled in a coup d'état, years of war and chaos followed. An unsuccessful invasion of Ethiopia followed the Soviet Union's change of support from Somalia to Ethiopia, caused by the communist takeover in Ethiopia. Left without Soviet support, Somalia turned to the United States, which allowed Somalia's self-proclaimed president, Siad Barre, to stay in power through the end of the Cold War in 1991. When the Soviet Union collapsed, American support for the Somali government was withdrawn, and Barre was overthrown.
Following these events, Somalis remained without a strong government, with constant wars ravaging the southern part of Somalia. These events led to the 1991 secession of Somaliland, which in 1960 had enjoyed a few days of independence. Anarchy continued throughout the land, prompting a United Nations peacekeeping force to be sent to war-torn Somalia. The relief effort ended however on March 3, 1995, after American troops were shot down and massacred.
Somalia remained unstable and, in 1998, Puntland declared autonomy under the presidency of Abdullahi Yusuf (deputy president of Somali Salvation Democratic Front), as a nation with clan confederation as one of its top priorities. Since 1998, Puntland has been in territorial disputes with Somaliland over the Sool and Sanaag regions.
Unlike the other self-declared state of Somaliland, Puntland is not trying to get international recognition to be a nation. It wants to be a federal divison in a united Somalia that is a federal republic.
Puntland began experiencing political turmoil in 2001 when President Ahmed wanted his term to be lengthened. Ahmed and Jama Ali Jama fought for control of the country, which Ahmed won in 2002. Ahmed served as president until October 2004 when he was elected President of Somalia. He was succeeded by Muhammad Abdi Hashi who served until January 2005 when he was defeated for reelection by Parliament, which elected General Mohamud Muse Hersi "Adde" . In December 2004, Puntland sustained serious damage during the tsunami following the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake. The international community has been accused of ignoring Puntland and other African areas where the tsunami struck.
Geography
Map of Somalia with Puntland roughly highlighted in blue
Puntland occupies the following Regions of Somalia:
External links
Last updated: 09-03-2005 18:37:12
