Hiiraan Online
Saturday, October 17, 2015
LONDON (HOL) - Somalia’s Islamic courts Union had a ‘secret’ plan aimed at overthrowing Puntland and Somaliland government before Ethiopian troops crashed the Islamic movement in 2006, according to confidential cables.
According to a confidential email sent by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aways, the then UIC executive leader which were released by the whistle-blower site WikiLeaks this month, the Islamic Courts Union which ousted the US-backed warlords wanted to infiltrate government in Puntland, a semiautonomous state in northern Somalia and its neighbouring Somaliland using large resources, a process aimed at overthrowing the two governments.
In the email, Mr. Aways told the UIC leaders that it was ‘very’ important for the UIC to have ministers and government officials within the Somaliland and Puntland, an approach which would lead to the toppling of the two governments to impose a sharia law into the two regions.
“Opening courts in Puntland and Somaliland is important, so we can buy weapons from soldiers and stop the flow of weapons the so called Somali government would send to the two regions.” Mr. Aways said in the email.
To implement the strategy, Mr. Aways has also urged UIC leaders to spare no effort to fault the relations between Puntland, Somaliland, and Ethiopia by using clan elders.
“We also have to purchase their heavy weaponry by paying large sums of money.” He said in the lengthy email titled “Top Secret” which were circulated among the UIC leaders. Among the plans of the ousted UIC leadership included using ‘thugs’ to carry out assassinations against officials with Puntland and Somaliland administrations.
In his email, the then UIC firebrand leader has also warned that disclosing contents in the email would lead to an execution.
On the other hand, Sheikh Aways has also called for support for the Ethiopia’s ethnic Oromo Liberation Front and ONLF to undercut the Ethiopian government’s power.
Ethiopian troops have ousted the Islamic Courts Union late 2006 after the fighters seized most of south and central Somalia regions. Ethiopian troops have also withdrawn from Somalia in 2009.