By Jama Ayaanle Feyte
Puntland, Somalia – Dr. Guled Salah Barre, a prominent opposition figure, has publicly leveled serious allegations of systemic corruption and resource plunder in the Sanaag region. He asserts that the exploitation is being masterminded by a private commercial entity whose primary beneficiaries are Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni and his inner circle of close associates and family members.
In a published statement, Dr. Guled framed the issue as a profound betrayal of public trust:
“It is a profound tragedy that the warnings we have sounded for so long are now incontrovertibly confirmed by hard, official evidence. President Deni has fundamentally perverted the Puntland government, transforming it from a public institution into a private syndicate for himself and his clique. This systematic hijacking of the state constitutes a devastating assault on the very foundations of governance and the social contract with the people.”
He further escalated his accusations by citing international validation:
“The situation has now reached a point where it is being documented by global watchdog organizations. A recent investigative report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) explicitly details the mechanisms through which President Deni and his relatives are illicitly leveraging state authority to siphon off and plunder the nation’s collective wealth and natural resources.”
Dr. Guuleed concluded by emphasizing this is a long-standing pattern, not an isolated incident:
“This exposed plunder is not a new development. On numerous occasions, I have fulfilled my civic duty by raising responsible alarms about this ongoing, orchestrated theft from the people of Puntland.”
