Hiiraan Online

Representative of a Chinese mining company known as ARC, which was expelled from Somalia in January for conducting illegal mining activities in the Simodi mountain ranges.

The elders in the mountainous Baki town in Awdal region have expressed concerns over an alleged misappropriation by the government which awarded a mineral mining contract to a Chinese firm which would explore the region's mineral potentials.

The exploration has already started on the Simodi Mountain in Baki town; however, authorities haven't so far released any details about the new operation.

Elders in the region told HOL that the government has evicted many residents from the area in accordance with the Chinese firm demands, sparking outrage among the residents who were reported to have tried to disrupt the discovery process.

"The Chinese have even denied us of any employment prospect, we can't agree to that," said Suldan Ibrahim, a traditional elder in the town.

He blamed the Chinese firm officials of being behind the arrest of the elders by the government, warning a possible environmental impact from the chemicals the mining firm would use for its mining operation.

Critics accuse the Somaliland government of vagueness in swaying the apparent public discontent towards its new resources attempt, cautioning its wealth may wind up being more of a curse than a
blessing.

According to Mindat.org, an outreach project for the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, Somaliland has several mineral localities including Mohlileh Hill, Darkainle complex, Borama District and Awdal.

Somaliland, a breakaway region in northern Somalia has declared a unilateral independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991; however, no country has so far recognized it as an independent state.