Special Report:

The GEEDIGA NABADA (Peace Caravan) Team has been touring around Somaliland
and Puntland in the midst of all the danger.

Special highlights from the on-going tour:

1) There were tensions in the SOOL region of Somaliland for quite sometime now.

Couple of months ago, One of GEEDIGA NABADA’s brother and uncle were

killed here, and as far as 2 days ago, the tension in the area has gone up again with

a new self named militia called SSC (Sool Sanaag Ceyn) attacking the OOG

Check point and killing 2 police officers and taking some hostage. And from the

other side of the border, the Majeerteen Clan of Puntland attacking the

Dhulbahante Clan from the Puntland border and leaving 5 dead. With all this

going on, the GEEDIGA NABADA team has visited this area and went to the

capital of SOOL region, Laas’Anood. The police commander and other elders

have advised them against such activities to be carried out in the area as the

tensions were so high and people in the area were very busy in sending back up to

their clan members whom have come under attack from the other side of the

border. Laas’anood is a very complicated town that is divided into so many parts.

The Somaliland supporters, the Puntland supporters, the Al-shaab supporters, the

unification of Somalia supporters and the ones who want to completely cut off

from every faction, group or state and want to form their own DARWISH LAND.

After much consultations, the PEACE CARAVAN team decided as they were the
 team that was appointed to spread peace and harmony in the region to not

abandon their mission and go ahead with their peace activities. They have started

with OOG and had a performance as well as Live Discussion with the audience.

This started as a very intense event as people were quite afraid of coming out to

be part of the event but after a while, the community started gathering one by one

till the PEACE CARAVAN had a big crowd to address. After the performance,

the Caravan took to the floor to ask the audience to also participate by asking

them to come up to the stage. To the surprise of the team, apart from all the grief

and problems this community had, all they spoke of where the new government

and how much they are not seeing any improvements to the previous

administration.

2) The Team then went on to ADHICADEEYE (Sool Region). This was another

town that has been facing clan fighting for a while now. On the same day the

PEACE CARAVAN went to this town, the elders of the 2 clans that were fighting

were in meetings about the problem. There were a lot of fears to stage the

performances here; hence the team had managed to put up a small performance

with the help of some of the community leaders who were part of the mediations.

The team had invited groups from the different clans whom were fighting. After

the show, the team host/moderator took the mic to pave the way for a community

dialogue which was greatly participated by many of the people who attended.

This has indeed turned out to be a great success for the Peace Caravan Team as

they have paved the way for more of this peace dialogues to continue for a better

and safer community.

3) OODWEYNE: The whole of the PEACE CARAVAN team came SO CLOSE TO

DEATH last night (30/09/2010) then they have ever been. After a GREAT event in

the town of OODWEYNE, some of the town people had invited them to their home

for dinner. After having dinner, they headed back to BURCO about 8pm at night.

Unfortunately, as the place was VERY DARK the team had taken the wrong turn

and drove into MINE INVESTED area for about 13 km. At this point, they still

had NO idea where they were until one of the people who were in the audience in

their morning show at OODWEYNE saw the CARAVAN BUS from afar in his

farm and made a call back to the town to inform the police. The team was then

immediately phoned and was informed about the danger. They were told to slowly

turn the BUS around as they were heading the wrong direction and follow only

the tracks they left behind without a mistake. Luckily, they made it back home

safely after a long agonizing journey fearing for their lives and if the bus was

going to go up in flames at any moment!

4) BOORAMA: A police commander was transferred from BORAMA to another

Town. The people of Borama started protesting against the government and made

a riot. The PEACE CARAVAN team also went down to BORAMA on the day the

riots were taking place as a lot of people were fearing that the situation could go

deeper into clans (The Police commander was from the BOORAMA clan). Even

the president was said to be visiting Borama to try and difuse this tension. The

GEEDIGA NADABADA went to mobilize a lot of youngsters (groups that have

been used to stage the riot) as well as elders, intellectuals and did a performance

and held a community dialogue after the show at the REYS HOTEL in Borama.

5) BOSSASO: ● The GEEDIGA NABADA has participated in the mediation a

serious clan issue that has devastated the KOBDHEXAAD village for the past 6
months. Close to 60 men have lost their lives over this dispute and even the
president of Puntland got involved in solving this problem and the issue is still
outstanding. About 4 days ago the GEEDIGA NABADA project coordinator has
met with the mediating committee and their leaders to ask for a permission to
address them and to assist them in their quest to find peace for this community.
The elders/leaders have welcomed the idea and Abdullahi Farah (Geediga
Nabada Project coordinator) took to the stage to address them about the work of
the Geediga Nabada and went on to tell them how we will work with them in this
quest to find a solution for their problem and to thank them for their courage to
come together. The GEEDIGA NABADA was given a good 20 minutes to address
the MOST important SULTANS, ELDERS, AQILS, GARAADS, SHEIKHS and
INTELLECTUALS of the HARTI Clan. This was a GREAT opportunity that has
won us (Geediga Nabada) a lot of friends in a very harsh environment where we
need all the friends and allies we can get in order to keep pushing forward with
our agenda of PEACE.

BOSSASO: Abdullahi Farah (Project coordinator) & Mohamed Salah (KMC

Manager of Puntland) have met with the Vice President of Puntland , Mr Abdi
Samad Ali Shire . They have explained to him the heroic work our guys are doing
everyday across the region and how his government can be part of this great
initiative. He has pledged his full and unconditional support to GEEDIGA
NABADA.
 BOSSASO: We have also met with the Head of Custodian Corps in Puntland to
ask for his permission to be able to go into the prison where they are holding
about 250 pirates. This permission was granted. At this moment we are very
much in contact with the Prison authorities to make a plan on when we will go
there, what will be happening, arranging permission for our cameras etc. And of
course, the head has also requested time to put together his security.

BOSSASO: The GEEDIGA NABADA has visited the biggest school in Bossaso.
Called the “Bossaso Secondary School”. About 1000 students attend this school.
The GEEDGA NABADA team had done a peace education in front of the school
assembly at 7:15 in the morning. This was a great success for the team with so
much adults whom are at risk from been influenced into been part of the vicious
cycle of Somalia’s wars and problems.

THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PEACE CARAVAN CONTINUE…