LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Somaliland: Puntland State
built 641 days ago
The State of Somaliland was occupied wholly by a corrupt and inexperienced army of officers purporting to be administrative officers in charge of Districts and regions. The judicial system no longer functioned. It was superfluous since Habeas Corpus had been annulled in October 1969. The country was effectively administered…by the Hangash (military intelligence), the Dabarjebinta [sic] (military counter-intelligence), the Koofiyad ‘Asta [sic] (red berets - military police), the Barista Hisbiga [sic] (party investigators), and the Guulwadayaal (party militia). Imprisonment, torture, and execution without trial were de rigeur.
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The Hargeisa-based clan-driven secessionists’ northern enclave of Somaliland, in the early hours of October 15, 2007, launched unprovoked armed aggression on the peaceful town of Las Anod, the capital of Sool region in the northern pro-unity State of Puntland. This naked aggression caused the death of at least 12 people and displacement of large residents of the city, as well as injuring unknown number of civilians. The local people are in arms defending their families and their properties against these invaders from their distant stronghold, Hargeisa, which is more than 900 Kilometers from Las Anod.
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From the outset of Puntland's occupation of the Sool and Sanaag regions, Somaliland has made it clear -- with consensus of its various political forces -- that it would attempt to reclaim those lost territories at the first favorable opportunity. That Hargeisa has made its move now is conditioned on a mix of factors to which both fear and fortune are attached.
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The Somaliland charter creates a constitutional regime that bears some resemblance to Iran. Although religious freedom is guaranteed, Islam is the state religion, and Article 33(1) of the constitution states that "promotion of any religion in the territory of Somaliland, other than Islam, is prohibited." Other provisions of the constitution entrench some aspects of shariah as Somaliland law.
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CORRECTION: Due to an editor's error, the e-mail version of this article incorrectly stated that Puntland was part of the British Somaliland Protectorate. In fact, the boundaries of that protectorate corresponded exactly to the boundaries that demarcate the territory claimed by Somaliland as an independent state. Middle East Report regrets the error.
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[T]he core principle remains: Somaliland fulfils all the criteria that international law stipulates for the attainment of statehood. The international community, particularly the African Union, should no longer ignore Somaliland's quest for recognition. It is in the interest of Africa, as well as the rest of the world, to have an independent state that is stable and free of anarchy, with a viable economy and a functioning constitutional democracy.
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Puntland State