Badhan (SahanPost):- Sultan Said Sultan Abdisalan, the Sultan of Warsangeli Sultanate in northern Somalia, has publicly commented for the first time on the drone strike that killed prominent clan leader Nabadoon Omar Abdullahi Abdi near Badhan.
In an interview with local and international media, accompanied by human rights organizations who visited the site of the attack, Sultan Said expressed his grief over the loss of Omar Abdullahi.
The delegation also spoke with the slain leader’s family members and local community, all of whom are devastated by the killing.
Describing Omar as his closest ally, Sultan Said said, “Omar Abdullahi was my right hand, a man with whom I worked on nearly every aspect and decision making in this region. He was a true leader and the driving force behind our peace initiatives and reconciliation efforts.”
Sultan Said further emphasized, “Omar was always available to everyone. To my knowledge, he had never committed any crime, nor was he suspected of any. If he had done something wrong, he would have been apprehended and brought to justice, not killed in a missile attack. This act reflects the hatred of those who carried it out and the merciless nature of those behind it.”
Sultan Said and Omar Abdullahi had recently participated in peace talks in Bosaso, where they met with Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni in mid-August to discuss regional development and peace-building initiatives. According to Sultan Said, they returned to Badhan after the talks, where Omar continued his mediation efforts between rival clans in the Durera Valley of Sanaag. The conflict there had claimed 11 lives and left nine others wounded.
“After our meeting with the Puntland president, Omar stayed behind in Badhan to continue his mediation efforts. I traveled to Ethiopia, leaving Omar to continue the peace process. I spoke with him around 11 AM on the day he was killed, and I was shocked when I received the tragic news,” Sultan Said said.
Sultan Said, along with the slain leader’s family, later in September met with President Deni to seek answers regarding those responsible for the attack. Puntland officials told the delegation they had no knowledge of the reasons behind the killing but vowed to investigate the circumstances surrounding Omar’s death. Sultan Said quoted President Deni as saying, “Omar was not suspected of any crimes, and Puntland has worked closely with him to promote stability and peace in the region.”
In response to AFRICOM’s statement about an airstrike in that area, Sultan Said said, “The U.S. has claimed the strike, but the person killed there was a peacemaker, an important member of my family and administration. A brief press release without details or names is insufficient. We know Puntland did not kill Omar, and whoever is responsible must be held accountable. We need full clarification on who carried out this attack and why they killed him.”
AFRICOM’s press release, issued on September 17, stated that the airstrike was conducted in collaboration with Somali federal government forces, targeting arms dealers linked to Al-Shabaab. However, Al-Shabaab denied the claim, and the Somali government has yet to comment on the strike. Missile remnants recovered from the site suggest the missiles may have been of American origin, raising further questions about the nature of the attack.
Speculation has grown that the killing of Omar Abdullahi could have been politically motivated. Some sources have suggested that some people may have been involved in a broader political strategy to achieve certain goals in the region.
One anonymous source told SahanPost, “The federal government has been increasing its presence in this region and establishing new administrations here. Omar was an outspoken critic of the federal government’s actions in Sanaag, particularly its interventions without consulting local leaders.”
The source added, “Omar was a key figure among the traditional elders of Sanaag, who, under Sultan Said’s leadership, issued a statement rejecting the newly formed administration of Northeastern Somalia, asserting that the people of Sanaag are part of Puntland.”
The killing of a clan leader in this manner is unprecedented in Somalia, particularly in the context of the ongoing war on terror. Sultan Said and the family members have insisted that Puntland distanced itself from any knowledge of his killing, acknowledging Omar’s close work with Puntland authority.
Apart from the AFRICOM press release, no official report on the incident has been released. The federal government’s (FGS) presence in the Sool region has increased significantly over the past two years, while traditional elders of Sanaag region proudly rejected FGS activities in the region. The development of FGS has met with resistance from both Puntland and Somaliland, as well as traditional leaders from the region.
SahanPost News Desk
info@sahanpost.com
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