Somalia: Puntland Minister Killed in Galkaio

August 5, 2009   ·   Comments (1)

By: Mohamed Aydarus
Horseed Media

On Wednesday, the minister of information of Puntland State, Warsame Abdi Shirwa, was shot dead by armed men in Galkaio, the second largest city of Puntland State of Somalia.

Eyewitness on the scene told Horseed Media, that Mr.Shirwa was shot in his car by four armed men in military uniform.

“….two armed men shot him several times….while two others gunmen blocked the road,…the minister was in his car, near the former Darvish base in central Galkaio …“ said, one of the eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity, because of security reasons.

It is the first such assassination of a Puntland minister, since the establishment of Puntland State of Somalia, in 1998.

The killing of the information Minister comes just days after, the autonomous region of Puntland state (Northeast of Somalia), celebrated the 11th anniversary of the creation of the State, on the 1st of August.

Over the past few weeks, a high level delegation from Puntland government was in Galkaio, the capital of Mudug region, to discuss security and administrative issues in the region.

Mr.Warsame Shirwac, was part of the delegation of Ministers, MPs and security officials elected from the region, who were on a mission to restore and strengthen, the provincial and district administrations in Mudug region, which is plagued by corruption and insecurity.

The government officials were also trying to end the tribal conflict in the region.

On 25th of July, one person was killed at a checkpoint north of Galkaio, when armed men from the late minister’s tribe, opened fire on a convoy of vehicles carrying, the regional officials led by Abdinur Mohamed Gesey, the governor of Mudug region.

Source: Horseed Media