Date: September 22, 2025
Author:WDM Policy Unit
Subject:Urgent Policy Interventions Required to Halt Environmental Degradation and Secure Puntland’s Economic Future

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1. Executive Summary

Puntland faces an existential environmental crisis characterized by rapid desertification, deforestation, and soil erosion. This degradation directly threatens the state’s economic stability, primarily by undermining the livestock sector and the viability of key infrastructure like the Bosaso trade corridor. The current trajectory, if unaddressed, will lead to increased food insecurity, displacement, and economic collapse. This brief argues that the crisis is not inevitable but is exacerbated by a lack of targeted policy and governance. It proposes immediate, actionable policies focused on banning destructive charcoal exports, launching a large-scale reforestation program, and integrating climate resilience into core economic planning.

2. Context and Problem Analysis

The environmental situation in Puntland has reached a critical point. Anecdotal and observational evidence points to a severe decline in vegetative cover and soil health.

· Economic Lifeline at Risk: The road from Garowe to Bosaso, the state’s primary trade artery, traverses increasingly degraded land. This threatens transport routes and symbolizes the erosion of the natural capital upon which the economy is built.
· Primary Drivers: The key drivers of this crisis are:
  1. Unregulated Charcoal Production: The cutting of trees for charcoal, often for export, is a primary cause of deforestation, destroying biodiversity and reducing soil cohesion.
  2. Climate Shocks: Increased frequency of droughts and flash floods exacerbates land degradation, creating a vicious cycle of poverty and environmental loss.
  3. Policy Gap: The absence of stringent environmental regulations and a strategic vision for natural resource management has allowed these destructive practices to continue unchecked.

3. The Core Challenge: A Governance Gap

The central challenge is a deficit in governance and political will. Environmental protection is often treated as a secondary concern, disconnected from economic and security priorities. The ongoing focus on short-term political maneuvering and revenue collection (e.g., E-Visa fees) occurs at the expense of long-term strategic planning for sustainable development. This failure to act decisively is the greatest amplifier of the environmental threat.

4. Policy Recommendations

The following interventions are recommended for immediate implementation by the Puntland government.

Recommendation 1: Enact and Enforce a Ban on Unregulated Charcoal Production and Export.

· Action: Issue an immediate executive order declaring unregulated charcoal production and export an economic crime, as it destroys long-term economic assets for short-term gain.
· Implementation: Task the Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with security agencies, with enforcing the ban at production sites and key checkpoints on the Bosaso road.

Recommendation 2: Launch a State-Led, Mass Reforestation and Land Rehabilitation Program.

· Action: Establish a “Puntland Green Future Initiative” with the goal of planting ten million native trees annually.
· Implementation: Mobilize public works programs, engage youth groups and local communities, and provide incentives for landowners to participate. This program should be a top priority for public investment.

Recommendation 3: Mainstream Climate Resilience into All Economic Planning.

· Action: Mandate that all major infrastructure projects, including port expansions and road developments, include an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and a climate resilience plan.
· Implementation: The Ministry of Planning must integrate these requirements into its approval process. Development partners should be engaged to provide technical and financial support for building climate-resilient infrastructure.

5. Conclusion

The environmental crisis in Puntland is fundamentally a governance crisis. The choices made today will determine whether Puntland secures a prosperous future or succumbs to irreversible decline. The policy recommendations outlined above provide a clear roadmap for action. By prioritizing environmental security, Puntland’s leadership can protect its people, ensure long-term economic stability, and fulfill its fundamental responsibility to safeguard the state for future generations.

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WDM Policy Unit advocates for evidence-based policy solutions to promote sustainable development and good governance in the Horn of Africa.

By WDM

Garowe’s past holds a ghost of a different landscape. The late Abdirahman Shuke, former PDRC director, recalled a greener childhood. Today, the city is not just dusty; it feels like a stage for a dystopian drama where the wind is the primary antagonist. The surrounding countryside has become a grim theater of despair, where starving livestock, displaced herders, and charcoal merchants act out a final, desperate play that is consuming the last of the region’s natural wealth—a crisis enabled by political neglect.

The road east from Garowe to Bosaso, Puntland’s economic lifeline to the Gulf of Aden, is a monument to this political failure. This is not a route of development, but a funeral procession for the land itself. The highway cuts through a landscape so severely degraded it resembles a moonscape—a place where the wind now erodes the economy as fiercely as it does the soil, each gust carrying away another layer of Puntland’s future, a direct result of inaction.

If Bosaso is the beating heart of Puntland’s economy, then the surrounding environment is the life-support system that sustains it. That system is now in critical condition, and the diagnosis points to a failure of governance. The advance of desertification, the scouring of arable land by flash floods, and the relentless cutting of trees for charcoal are collectively suffocating the region’s economic potential. No port expansion or foreign investment deal can resuscitate an economy built on dead soil, a reality our leaders refuse to confront.

Confronted with this existential threat, the political response has been a masterclass in negligence. Leadership is preoccupied with divisive squabbles over E-Visa revenues, tribal posturing on social media, and the perpetual calculus of the next election. They are debating who should rule in Villa Somalia while the very foundation of Puntland’s prosperity—its land—turns to dust. We risk a future where Bosaso’s port imports food aid for a starving population instead of exporting livestock to sustain it, a direct consequence of political priorities.

Globally, this locally orchestrated tragedy is either ignored or met with cynical mockery. Climate deniers, from boardrooms to political rallies, dismiss the science as a hoax—a luxury of disbelief afforded to those not yet watching their livelihoods blow away on the wind. The West often frames climate change as a distant, political abstraction, while the Global South lives its brutal, tangible reality. Yet, this global indifference does not absolve Puntland’s own leadership; it makes their proactive role more critical.

It is time to stop dismissing this crisis as an unavoidable “act of God.” This is an act of man, and a failure of politics: a man-made apocalypse fueled by industrial emissions abroad and enabled by local short-sightedness and a catastrophic lack of governance.

WDM CALL TO ACTION

Climate change is not merely an environmental issue; it is the ultimate test of our political will. Puntland must choose to reforest or face irreversible decline. This demands immediate, concrete action that places responsibility squarely on the state:

· A Moratorium and a Mission: Enforce a ban on unregulated charcoal production and launch a massive, state-led reforestation campaign. For every tree cut, ten must be planted. This is a primary function of government, not an optional program.
· Accountability: Treat the export of charcoal not as commerce, but as an economic crime that mortgages the future for temporary gain. The law must recognize the gravity of this destruction.
· Political Reckoning: Make ecological stewardship the central metric of leadership. Any official who ignores this crisis must be held accountable at the ballot box before the next sandstorm buries Bosaso’s lifeline for good.

The alternative is not just a struggling state, but a cautionary tale of political failure written on the dust-blown shores of the Gulf of Aden.

BREAKING: Maddow, Colbert, and Kimmel Just Walked Away From the System — And Built a Newsroom That Has Networks Shaking.
https://harmonieshub.com/posts/ld-breaking-maddow-colbert-and-kimmel-just-walked-away-from-the-system-and-built-a-newsroom-that-has-networks-shaking-ld/

Rachel Maddow, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Kimmel have stunned the media world by joining forces to launch an independent newsroom, free from advertisers, corporate gatekeepers, and editorial restraints. Their mission is clear: to expose corruption, challenge power, and deliver journalism that speaks directly to the people.

Frustrated by years of network pressure and watered-down narratives, the trio is tearing down the old rules of broadcasting. Maddow brings her piercing analysis, Colbert his fearless satire, and Kimmel his sharp late-night edge — a fusion designed to disrupt an industry that has grown complacent.

As legacy networks scramble to respond, audiences are rallying behind this bold experiment, calling it the rebirth of real journalism. What began as a daring collaboration now looks like a movement — one that could mark the start of a new era in media.

OP-ED BY MP DR. ABDILLAHI HASHI ABIB (Redrafted by WDM for effect)

September 21, 2025

BREAKING NEWS FROM THE PARLIAMENT FLOOR:

Ladies and gentlemen of Somalia, brace yourselves. While you were busy worrying about inflation, power cuts, and Al-Shabab taxes, a new flight is preparing to land at Aden Adde International Airport this Monday at exactly 17:00 hours — and no, it’s not Turkish Airlines bringing diaspora doctors or UN food aid. It’s Stockholm’s latest gift to Mogadishu: 28 convicted Somali-Swedish criminals, including one INTERPOL-flagged child predator.

Yes, you heard me. Mogadishu — once the proud White Pearl of the Indian Ocean — is now officially the world’s first tax-free penal colony, courtesy of corrupt deal-makers in Villa Somalia.

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THE SMOKING GUN: THE “SPECIAL CASE” DEAL

For six months, our so-called “officials” — Ahmed Dahir, Kamal Gutale of the PM’s Office, and Yahya Hagi, the unelected “De Facto DG” of Immigration — have turned Mogadishu into a revolving door for European rejects. For a mere $45,000 per head, these gentlemen of high office have been happily importing Europe’s finest: rapists, gang leaders, and yes, pedophiles, freshly deported from Sweden, Norway, and the UK.

If this were a livestock contract, at least we’d get a quarantine certificate. Instead, these criminals are quietly released into the streets of Mogadishu — no tracking, no parole officers, no plan. Just dumped like toxic waste.

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THIS IS NOT IMMIGRATION — IT IS TREASON

Let us be very clear:

This is not “repatriation.”

This is not “diaspora return.”

This is bribery, state capture, and human trafficking at the highest levels.

Mogadishu’s streets are already struggling under the weight of unemployment, insecurity, and militia checkpoints — do we now need Scandinavian gangsters setting up branch offices of Stockholm’s Somali Mafia in Hamar Weyne?

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THE CALL TO ACTION

I demand:

1. Immediate cancellation of Monday’s “Special Case” flight.

2. Arrest and prosecution of every official who signed this secret deal.

3. A parliamentary inquiry into how Mogadishu became Europe’s preferred crime-disposal site.

4. A national policy that forbids importing convicts as a form of development aid.

Somalia is not for sale. We are not Europe’s landfill.

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A FINAL WORD TO EUROPE & THEIR LOCAL AGENTS

If Stockholm, Brussels, or London wish to rehabilitate criminals, they have excellent prisons, psychologists, and probation programs. Don’t export your social failures to us. Mogadishu is struggling to keep its own streets safe — we do not need to add “Swedish gang wars” to the agenda.

As a candidate for President of Somalia, I vow this betrayal will be stopped dead in its tracks. The Pearl of the Indian Ocean deserves better than to become Europe’s Guantanamo Bay.

Respectfully but ruthlessly,

Dr. Abdillahi Hashi Abib, BA, MA, MASc, Ph.D
Member, Foreign Affairs Committee
Candidate for President of the Federal Republic of Somalia

abdillahi.abib@parliament.gov.so / dheemaal@yahoo.com
W: +1-571-436-7586 | M: +252-6108-22469