London BBC World Service “Focus on Africa” program (in English) — 1505 GMT

There are fresh reports of fighting in the breakaway republic of Somaliland. Last week battles erupted in the city of Borao between forces loyal to ousted Somaliland leader Abdirahman Tur and forces of President Mohamed Egal’s government. It looked like the beginning of an all-out war, but Egal dismissed it as a little more than banditry. Well today, Abdirahman Tur’s No. 2 man, Ismael Buba, called us from Mogadishu. Mary Harper asked him what, according to his information, was going on in Somali land:

[Begin recording]

[Buba] In Somaliland, major battles have been going on since last Tuesday [28 March], a week from yesterday, and it has been reported to us that the dead in Borao alone go up to 4,000. In Hargeysa there are intermittent clashes taking place, and we have also been told that some colonel, also from the (Borama) area, has warned all the people who are on Egal’s side to leave to (Borama). We have also been told that Egal is trying to amass some forces in the (Share) area.

[Harper] Where are you getting your information from? You are in Mogadishu, it is very difficult to communicate with Somaliland?

[Buba] No, Mary, on the contrary, it is not. We get briefings, you know, from Somaliland-whether it is Borao and its area, Boroma, and Rigabo – twice a day, we are well briefed about what is happening in the north.

[Harper] How are you getting this briefing?

[Buba] So, we are getting this briefing through the communication (?such as) the radiophones that are in those areas.

[Harper] So, are you claiming that you and your allies, (?principally) Abdirahman Tur, are sitting in Mogadishu and commanding this war which is taking place miles away in Somaliland?

[Buba] Mary, we are not, and we are against an armed clash to take place anywhere in Somalia, whether in north or in the south. That has been our position and stick by it. [sentence as heard]

[Harper] So, who is fighting in Somaliland?

[Buba] Egal is…. [pauses] The people he has recruited by using the (?false money) has [words indistinct] (?reduced them) to simply killing as many people possible so that he can stay in power. Actually, the problem in Somaliland is that, you know, Egal is the, (?you know well), a lot of people know is power-hungry and he’s got a number of bloodthirsty colonels who are actually engineering, you know, all of this conflict [words indistinct].

[Harper] Are you financing people, supplying them with arms, saying that they can fight against President Egal?

[Buba] No, we are not inciting anybody to fight, but the people are actually collecting the… [pauses] are putting their resources together to incite Egal war against them. [sentence as heard]

[End recording]

_{FBIS-AFR-95-066, 6 Apr. 1995, p. 4}