Assignment 1-Civil Military Relations Course

Conflict And Conflict Minerals In The Great Lakes

Region, Somalia, Puntland and Somaliland

1-Introduction

When we hear of Conflict minerals what comes to mind are the

blood diamonds of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Eastern DRC.

Armed groups like the M-22, the Inter Rahamway Rebels,

Rwanda, Kabila, Kigami and the like. Conflict minerals are

minerals exploited for the sole purpose of funding an armed

group.

The Great lakes area and in particular the Eastern DRC is

rich in minerals and recurrent conflicts to control them.

Ever since the overthrow of the Mabuti government the area

has been racked by instability with rebels backed by the

governments of DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda vying for

control of the precious minerals in the area.

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Clearly there is a world demand for these minerals that is

fuelling an ever more violent situation of destroy and

control. It was only through reporters exposing the link

between minerals and the conflict in the area that the

world, in particular the Western World, where the markets

for these minerals were great, was forced to look into its

conscience with a sense of guilt.

Despite the images of death and destruction fuelled by these

conflict minerals that were the raw materials for the

world’s biggest multinationals in the west it still took a

long time for the multinationals to take action and it is

still a long way from any meaningful change in the dealings

of these multinational companies with the so called conflict

minerals from the Greater Lakes regions or elsewhere. For

instance, General Electric (GE) only made a commitment to

act on the issue in its company’s 2010 citizenship report.

The US, the headquarters of most of these multinational

companies, enacted a law as recent as 2010 requiring many

companies to report publicly on their use of conflict

minerals in the manufacture of their products. This is

years, over a decade, when reporters have exposed the use of

minerals for financing and continuing the conflicts in West

Africa, Liberia and Sierra Leone. (GE Citizenship 2011)

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There are stages to conflict and obviously the root causes

arise much earlier before it flares into an open violence.

And while the multi-nationals make us believe that they are

making changes to their practices in identifying the source

of their raw material minerals they are also open to

‘legitimate’ mineral sources and supply chain. Now what

constitutes ‘legitimate source’ hasn’t been yet put into

agreement. Just because the minerals didn’t change hands

from ‘illegal armed groups’ doesn’t necessarily mean that

they are conflict free.

The DRC as with virtually all of Africa is under dire

poverty, minimal development and the like. There are still

inter nascent conflicts arising from competition for scarce

resources. There is a land tenure issue in DRC as in all of

Africa. The government under the clout of legitimacy through

licensing ‘legitimate’ companies to mine in the country

inevitable intrudes into the livelihood of those that

happened to be in the mine area. Add to that the

environmental hazards brought by these mining companies and

you have an entire group ethnic, cultural, social being

displaced from its home and livelihood.

Displacement of people’s livelihoods and traditional

practices without an adequate compensation and relocation

(which is impossible) is also violence, structural violence

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and so while not out in the open, any minerals extracted

from the area and bought by these multinational companies

are conflict minerals as well. For in the end, structural

violence does lead to open violence in the end and thus the

multinational companies are eventually to take the blame.

Take for instance the multinational company Shell and oil

extraction in Nigeria. It has caused a lot of havoc,

displacement from their traditional livelihoods, and

environmental catastrophe in the areas they operate in. Who

holds Shell responsible for all these destructive ventures?

The West enjoys the oil that Shell sells but aren’t they

encouraging the further destruction of the people and

country of Nigeria? Isn’t that illegal? Isn’t that the same

as multinational companies buying conflict minerals and

fueling the conflicts in those areas in Africa?

It just goes to show that unregulated capitalism and the

welfare of people and societies don’t go together. The

factories, oil extractions and the like have moved from

Europe and North America to Africa and Asia. Europe and

North America have environmental policies that won’t allow

anything remotely resembling what for instance, Shell is

doing to the environment in the Niger River Delta. But when

it comes to any other place other than Europe and North

America, the West has no environmental policy. The

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Environment is a human right issue and thus universal.

Europe and North America can’t live in their little bubble

for long.

2-Conflict and conflict minerals in the Federal

Republic of Somalia

2.1 Somali minerals

Somalia isn’t usually a country to comes to mind whenever

the subject of conflict minerals is brought up. I suppose it

has been spared unlike the DRC, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

However, with the recent oil explorations in the country

this might change.

Minerals in Somalia are usually found in the northern

regions of Somaliland and Puntland. For instance artisanal

mining that includes gemstones and salt mining as well as

gold in Somaliland while oil was being explored in both

Somaliland and Puntland. (2011 Mineral Yearbook)

The first multinational oil companies part of the seven

sisters Conoco, Texaco, Chevron were operating in Somalia in

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the late 1980s with licenses and concessions from the then

Somali president Siyaad Barre who was probably desperate for

more money to hold on to power indefinitely.

Since the civil war, these companies haven’t returned.

Despite this they never relinquished their licenses and

concessions in Somalia. Amidst this background Puntland and

Somaliland have given their own concessions and licenses to

somewhat obscure companies who on the face of it are

deliberately wanton reckless.

However with the strong clan structure that exists in the

fabrics of Somali society and in particular the regions of

Puntland and Somaliland no armed group could ever even

attempt to exploit these mineral resources for their own

enrichment to the exclusion of the inhabitants of the land.

2.2 Somaliland Minerals and Mineral Exploration

2.2.1-Background

As stated earlier, most of the minerals in Somalia are in

Somaliland. And Conoco concessions were in Somaliland. This

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self-declared republic is host to gold and gemstones as well

as oil.

Largely pastoralists the people have for so long opted to

not tamper with their way of life by introducing oil

extraction on the land that could have dire consequences for

the export of livestock for which Somaliland is well known

for.

However, times seem to have changed and recently the

incumbent Somaliland government of Silaanyo had issued

licenses to obscure, small oil companies to explore and

eventually extract the oil, gold, gemstones and all the

minerals of Somaliland.

2.2.2 Genel Energy

Genel Energy has been issued concessions for the exploration

of oil in Blocks of land in the Saraar and Togdheer regions

of Somaliland. Genel supposedly entered into an agreement

with the Somaliland government. But with everything in

Somalia inclusion of the local inhabitants of the area was a

must to have a complete agreement.

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Left out the Saraar community spearheaded by its community

leaders, elders and politicians attempted to correct things.

In March 2013, the people of the area led by a group of 21

elders protested and stopped Genel’s initial exploration of

oil in the area. This led to Genel sending two “ high

ranking” executes of the oil company to sit down with the 21

elders. And it was in this sitting with the Genel executives

that the elders presented their list of demands.This was to

ensure that the community would benefit from the minerals in

their lands and not be displaced from their livelihoods and

lands. After all these were pastoralists and the depended on

the land to graze their livestock.

The executives agreed to consider the list and respond to

the community in due course though no body heard of them

since then. Henceforth the elders went to Hargeisa to talk

directly to Silaanyo who listened to their concerns and

requested that they select from amongst themselves five

individuals that would directly negotiate with the Genel

company and his minister of energy and minerals Mr. Hussein

Abdi Dualeh. The negotiations that subsequently went on

between the five representatives of the community of Saraar,

Genel company representatives and the Somaliland minister

for energy and minerals failed. Genel and Mr. Hussein

refused to make any concessions to the Saraar community

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representatives. And eventually Genel resumed its

exploration of the Saraar region.

It was at this point that members of the Saraar community in

the Diaspora in coordination with those in Somaliland

decided to write an open letter addressed to Mr. Hayward,

the Chief Executive of Genel. The letter was signed by the

Yonis Abdirahman clan who are “ the overwhelming inhabitants

of the Saraar region” The letter goes on to welcome oil

explorations in the region and investment in the country to

create jobs, build infrastructure, provide social services

and so on. However, the authors of the letter protest the

exclusion of chosen traditional elders, intellectuals,

religious leaders and members of parliament of the Saraar

region from involvement in the contract between Genel and “

a few ministers of the Silaanyo government”

Now the Saraar people weren’t really unreasonable in their

demands which included a thorough environmental study to be

taken before commencement of any meaningful oil extraction

from the area after all it was their way of life that was at

stake. And in case people’s lives are affected by the oil

extraction which inevitably it would affect their lives then

the people should be compensated not only in relocation or

redevelopment of the area but in terms of creating jobs for

the locals and to this effect security of the area should be

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entrusted to the natives of Saraar. And to ensure that Genel

lives up to its agreement with the people of Saraar 25%

ownership should go to the Saraar inhabitants. And to

safeguard against backlashes from the Silanyo government all

agreements it enters with Genel should go before the both

houses of parliament. (Somalilandsun, 2013)

The open letter concludes appealing to the Genel board of

directors to consider the list of concerns of the Saraar

community citing it would be a win-win for all.

But then what didn’t come through face to face negotiations

wouldn’t come through an open letter that is easily

ignorable.

2.2.3 The Government of Somaliland, Genel oil

company and potential conflict in Somaliland

The government entered its own agreement with the Genel

company without consulting the community whose land the

company would explore. This inevitable led into conflicts

with that community who demanded they be part of any

agreement concerning their lands.

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In this the government assured them that they would be

consulted before any actual exploration activity starts on

their land.

However, the Genel company along with military escort (RRU)

from the government forcibly came onto the community and

their lands with bulldozers and labor and technical teams

chopping off the shrubbery of the land that the locals

depend on grazing their livestock and what have you.

(Somalilandsun, 2013)

The assurance from the government of Genel’s security didn’t

stop the latter from pulling out of Somaliland in early

September of 2013 citing wider security concerns.

(Ethiopiannewsforum, 2013)

I suppose it has slowly come to learn its lesson that this

is Somalia. Despite this the Somaliland government

spearheaded by the foreign minister is reassuring that they

would guarantee the full security of Genel personnel and

property and if that wasn’t enough the British security

apparatus would assist as well. (Somalilandpress, 2013)

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2.2.4 Confrontation between Genel and the

community

With a modest list of demands made by the people of the

community whose land would be explored for oil and with the

rejection of those demands off hand by Genel without first a

discussion, a potentially explosive situation was created in

what was a peaceful area of Saraar and Togdheer.

The government initially tried to talk to the community to

work out some kind of a solution but with the Genel oil

company missing from the talk, the talks were just that, a

means of stalling and distracting the community.

And that is exactly what happened when Genel didn’t live up

to its understanding with the people bringing its own

employees and disregarding the people that may be displaced

by its work.

And so the people reaffirmed their insistence that Genel

meet their demands or that they will take action. The clan

militia men were ready and within sight of the Genel and its

exploration.

The government threatened to deal with those that are in the

way of the oil company from doing its work and in fact

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brought in their own militia, the RRU to the area and thus

creating a very tense scene.

Eventually the minister of interior tried to mediate between

the community and the government to no avail. There have

been numerous earlier attempts that produced nothing.

And the situation was in that tense stance when Genel all of

the sudden, perhaps reading the writing on the wall, decided

it wasn’t worth it. (Somaliland.org 2013)

2.2.5 The confrontation of the government and the

militiamen

With the central government bent on affirming its authority

over the people and land a large contingent of armed men

fell upon the community but they were met with an equally

well armed militia.

The Central government tried to mediate the situation once

again though the tension never died down. Once again with

the demands of the community not met by Genel company there

was no final agreement on the matter of exploration of the

community’s land.

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The more Genel continued to work in the area the more they

became targeted by the community whence they called the

whole thing off.

2.2.6 The termination of the oil exploration by

Genel in the Somaliland

And so unable to continue with its work in light of the

apparent disapproval and dislike of the community Genel had

only one option and that was to pull out. The government

neither sought to reassure its security any further than it

already had nor did any other group sought to get into the

wedge and support the company in its bid which is what would

have happened had the central government been ruthless and

capable to suppress the community while Genel went on with

its work. And no armed group could come forward to fill in

the cracks because of the nature of the Somali political,

socio-economic and cultural landscape.

We can truly say this is one time that a community has

gotten the upper hand over a multinational company. Oil and

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its wealth was not worth the fight. It wasn’t possible to

fight over it anyways. For the simple fact that in Somalia

each clan has a right over its own land and that no one else

has any business in encroaching upon it without flaring up a

deadly and protracted conflict between clans. And with

already several unhealed wounds and still simmering and just

under the cover inter clan conflicts no body has the heart

for new ones.

Reports of the government that Genel would return back

doesn’t seem to be confirmed by the company itself which

cited security reasons as its main issue that has driven it

to pull out of the country. (Somalilandpress, 2013)

Other reports say that Genel pulled out of Somaliland

because of the actions of the ministers that have

misappropriated sums of money that was to go to the

development of the area where the exploration was to take

place and so in fulfillment of its agreement with the

community representatives.

However, Genel would have come out with this to the

community if it actually was fulfilling its agreement with

them and this hasn’t happened. So this piece of news is

somewhat under clout.

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Other reasons state that Genel pulled out of Somaliland

because of pressure from Somalia that wasn’t happy with the

region benefiting its own resources. This is usually the

government line. That Genel pulled out of Somaliland because

of events in Somalia. Perhaps Genel being a company of

Turkish origin might have something to do with it with

Turkey in favour of a single Somalia rather than Somaliland

and Somalia. (Somaliland.org, 2013)

Whatever the reason the fact of the matter remains that the

company is out and a disaster has been prevented that would

have likely put the country through another deadly

internecine conflict.

2.3 Puntland Minerals and Mineral exploration

2.3.1 Gemstones

An Australian mineral company, Range Resources Limited

attempted not long ago to explore gemstones in the Nugaal

region of Puntland. Of course they had concession licenses

from the Puntland government. However, there was no

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involvement of everyone in the community and people living

on the land they were exploring.

Puntland politicians like all politicians are all talk and

not much effect on the ground. The concession deals were

made in Garoowe behind closed doors with supposedly

politicians from the regions concerned. And we can say they

might have brought along some folks from the areas of

exploration but by no means is this to be construed as a

full inclusion of the community in the affairs of their

lands.

Even the very sincerity of these politicians is

questionable. After all every man is part of a clan and

first and foremost has an allegiance to that clan. And no

man wants to take away the wealth of his clan in terms of

this mineral rich land to some other clans. The clan owning

the land has first priority in the wealth of that land.

And so I’m afraid Puntland politicians as Somaliland and

Somalia politicians are playing a double hand here without

realizing the consequences of doing so. After all the world

doesn’t play this way. You double deal a multi national oil

company and you’ll have to face the consequences from the

home countries of these companies.

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As happens with everything done in this part of the world

the absence of involvement of the local community had had a

dire consequences for the Australian company who seem to

have not understood much the Somali landscape. No body is

holding them for their lack of understanding of the Somali

political landscape for even Somalis have hard time making

sense of their landscape.

I suppose with all their political acumen Somali people are

not much of politicians. Perhaps apprentices but not

politicians.

2.3.2 Confrontation of the Range Resources Limited

and the local community

And so with no involvement from the local community, Range

Resources Limited had no business moving around looking for

gemstones. It was trespassing on private property of the

inhabitants even though it had a license from the government

of Puntland.

The locals responded to these intruders by making it hard

for them to be there. There were incidents between the local

militias Range Resources Limited and their Puntland

security.

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Add to that and the fact that progress was slow on its

exploration of designated areas, another company was out of

Somali territory. There was no suppression of the armed

militia for it was their clan territory and not even

Puntland, itself a union of clans and sub clans could do

anything about it. Clan land was off property to all but the

people concerned lest wounds are opened and as we have

stated earlier no body wants to start new protracted inter

clan conflicts that is difficult to extinguish.

And so yet again Somalis have gotten the better of the

multinational companies. No amount of wealth was worth the

blood, enmity and destruction shed. It just wasn’t possible

in the Somali case because it is pretty much clear cut.

Natural resources truly belong to the people of the land, in

this case the Somali clan that is from that land.

2.3.3 Puntland Oil Concessions

The Puntland parliament in 2006 approved the concessions

license between the Puntland Sate of Somalia and the Range

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resources limited company, an Australian based company, I

don’t know if Faroole had any part in this (he was formerly

an Australian resident).

Range Resource Limited company would have the right to

explore oil in the Puntland regions. After the initial set

back, it did start drilling in some areas in the Bari region

but with no success. And though some community leaders were

paid some sums of money by the Puntland government it is

doubtable if everyone was included in the agreement to share

the wealth of the oil from the land.

We have already seen the response of the local community to

gemstone exploration. The oil exploration is even more

controversial with implication that have dire consequences

for the inhabitants of the region.

And even though these Somali pastoralists are living off the

land and their livestock they are aware of the potential

evil oil and gemstone exploration could have on their

livelihood.

I don’t know if the Puntland people are as tightly nit as

the Somaliland people but it’s pretty much clear that

neither wants to be displaced from their ancestral homelands

and way of life.

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2.4 Puntland and Somaliland claims over oil

exploration in the Sool, Sanaag and Ayn regions

The dispute between Somaliland and Puntland over the Sool,

Sanaag and Ayn regions is now threatening to take a

development for the worst with each government awarding

concessions over the same piece of land to two different

foreign oil companies the Norwegian DNO and the Swedish

African oil. Some Puntland officials have warned the

Somaliland government with threats of open confrontation if

it starts exploration of their lands. Somaliland officials

have similarly threatened Puntland with threats of

confrontation if it starts exploration on its land.

What is questionable is how these two oil companies could

even think of working in such a disputed area with not much

of any unified governing authority. I suppose it is a bit

like Genel. It knew the risks of doing business in

Somaliland but it went on with it anyway without setting in

basic considerations in place.

It is not surprising that these oil companies are venturing

into Somaliland and Puntland which are neither recognized as

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legal, independent entities. It is not surprising that also

these oil companies are working in a potentially volatile

situation. It makes you wonder if these companies are

deliberately trying to create tensions and conflicts. There

is a large body of evidence regarding oil companies and

conflict oil. It is pretty much clear for everyone to make

their own conclusions.

2.5 The Federal government and Puntland and

Somaliland

2.5.1 The Federal government of Somalia and

Somaliland

The Somali constitution supposedly considerable autonomy to

regional governments to enter into commercial oil deals.

However, there is also a draft Petroleum law stating the

central government can distribute natural resources. The

problem is that the Somali Federal government is at the

moment unable to enforce its authority through out the

Southern regions or even Mogadishu let alone throughout the

entire country. And as we have noted in this heavily clan

structured post civil war Somalia with everything under the

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clout of the clan, no clan is going to infringe on another

clan’s land local, regional or central government for that

matter. (Reuters, 2013)

2.5.2 The Federal government of Somalia and

Puntland

Though Puntland is supposedly in principle receptive to a

central government in Mogadishu, in practice and in manner

it imitates Somaliland in all ways if not even more vocal in

its stance vis-à-vis the central government.

Puntland in fact rejected statements from the Federal

government of Somalia that only the Federal government can

enter into deals relating to natural resources stating that

there was no viable government in Mogadishu to start with.

And in reality that is the case. The supposed government in

Mogadishu has no enforcement outside the environs of

Mogadishu and may be few other surrounding districts. And so

whatever statements Mogadishu makes regarding already

established regional administrations in Puntland and

Somaliland has nothing to back it up.

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4 Conclusion

As we have seen Multinational Companies as well as Western

governments are dragging their feet about on the issue of

conflict minerals and why should they expedite it. After all

if no body has done anything about the destruction of the

environment that these same multinational companies have

caused in many a place in the world, who cares if they buy

minerals from sources that are in conflict.

So the argument goes that there are more underlying root

causes for the conflicts in Africa and that stopping the

trade of conflict minerals would be just treating the

symptom of the disease rather than tackling the underlying

causes. And so they propose to increase development,

hopefully eradicate poverty, promote good governance and the

like in the areas these multinational operate.

However, these are not the treatments for the problems. It

is just the cover up of the problem so that these

multinational companies would operate under the pretense of

good conscience.

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If ever the root causes of these problems were to be tackled

it would have to be done by the indigenous populations and

without the interference of the Western Nations that are

only fuelling the flames of conflict through their buying of

conflict minerals or multinational companies polluting the

environment. However, that is not the kind of world that we

live in.

Africans would eventually have to create a more conducible

environment with which to coexist with each other and share.

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References (APS Style)

1-Conflict Minerals and the Democratic Republic of Congo:

Expanding Supply Chain Efforts. 2011. GE Citizenship.

Retrieved September 1, 2013, from:

http://www.gecitizenship.com/blog/features/conflict-

minerals-and-the-democratic-republic-of-congo-expanding-

supply-chain-efforts/

2- USGS Science for a Changing World. (2011). Minerals

Yearbook. Retrieved September 1, 2013, from:

http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/country/2011/myb3-

2011-so.pdf

3-Somalilandsun. (2013). Somaliland: Open letter to Tony

Hayward of Genel Energy. Somallandsun. Retrieved September

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1, 2013, from:

http://somalilandsun.com/index.php/community/3639-

somaliland-open-letter-to-tony-hayward-of-genel-energy-

4-Somaliland.org. (2013). Genel energy oil company stops all

work and leaves Somaliland, all contracts terminated and

expatriate employees ordered to leave Somaliland. Retrieved

September 1, 2013, from:

http://ethiopianewsforum.com/viewtopic.php?

f=2&t=60725&mobile=on

5-Goth, M.G. (2013). Somaliland: Genel Energy to resume oil

exploration operations after reaching deal with Somaliland

government. Retrieved September 3, 2013, from:

http://somalilandpress.com/somalilandgenel-energy-to-resume-

oil-explorations-operations-after-reaching-deal-with-

somaliland-government-44439

6-Somaliland: Genel’s quest for 400,000 Barrels of crude per

day undeterred by rumors of prospective conflict. 23 July,

2013. Retrieved September 3, 2013, from:

http://somalilandsun.com/index.php/economic/3391-somaliland-

genels-quest-for-400000-barrels-of-crude-per-day-undeterred-

by-rumours-of-prospective-conflict-

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