One Somaliland Coast Guard Officer Dies in Skirmish with Djiboutian Navy

The government of Somaliland has extended condolences to the family, relatives, friends and colleagues of the late naval officer Deeg Ali Osman who died during skirmishes with units of the Djiboutian Navy in Sayla. This was revealed by the deputy interior minister in-charge of security Mohamed Muse Diriye during a press briefing in Hargeisa where he also informed that another member of the Somaliland coast guard is nursing serious injuries sustained following the unprecedented live fire confrontation with the Djiboutian navy in Somaliland waters around Sayla. “We hereby acknowledge a confrontation between Somaliland coast guards and Djiboutian navy in the proximity of the two countries border town of Sayla” said the deputy minister adding that investigations on circumstances leading to the fateful event in which late Deeq lost his life is being pursued. Informing that the Hargeisa authorities are optimistic of conducive conclusion to the fight between the two navies the security boss said initial intelligence indicate that neither deaths or injuries have been reported among the foreign troops, though a factual report shall be issued soon. Accordingly a team from local security agencies led by interior minister Mohamed Ali Waran’ade is in the border District of Sayla to ascertain events that ensued with the brawl between the two navies leading to death and injury. Somaliland shares land and water boundaries its neighbor to the west Djibouti which is home to a large contingent of foreign naval forces from the USA, China and France not to mention the high powered fleet of Operation Atalanta, a pirate deterrence force whose large Armanda is supplied by the European Naval Force. Though the Somaliland authorities appear coy of calling a spade a spade it is a fact that Djiboutian security agencies have been known to traverse deep into their neighbouring countries land and waters seemingly in a carte blanch manner. Though Somalilandsun has failed to procure factual evidence rumour has it that the abundant but yet to be tapped oil deposits around the border town of Lowy’ado are being tapped secretly by Djibouti which is said to have a covert and sophisticated dredging and extraction operation from its side of the border. If so this is purely theft by the neighbouring country that has not only and consistently denied the existence of Somaliland as a sovereign nation but one that is deeply involved in the support of the Somalia Federal Government revanchist policies, reunion with Somaliland, not to mention supply of troops to AMISOM, the African Union force battling Al-sabaab thence ensconce the authority of the frail Mogadishu based government in the entire country.