Somalia: Al-Shabaab Leader Targets Somaliland

Nairobi — The Amir (leader) of Al-Shabaab, the strongest Islamist movement challenging the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia, has accused the Somaliland authority of oppressing the Muslim people in the region.

Sheikh Mukhtar Abdurahman Abu Zubayr, through a circulated voice message, said: "This authority prevents the Muslim society there from implementing sharia (Islamic) laws,".

"Such action leaves the people without progress," he added.

The Al-Shabaab leader, who himself comes from Somaliland, urged the people there to rise against the government and the power structure.

He indicated that since the independence from Britain in 1960, the region has been ruled through un-Islamic governing systems that lead to disappointments.

Sheikh Abu Zubayr blamed the government in Somaliland of having wasted the people's time by unsuccessfully seeking international recognition for over 18 years.

"This authority's search for recognition and the hazy democracy it follows amounts to treachery," said the sheikh.

"The government in Somaliland has only achieved low income, unemployment, poor infrastructure and economic collapse," remarked Sheikh Abu Zubayr.

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/200909030736.html.