14/09/2025
Gudoomiyaha gudida oo si cilmiyaysan iyo lexejeclolebaleh uga hadlay mashruuca wajaale iyo sida ugu haboon ee bulsho iyo dawladiba iskufahmikaraan hadafka iyo horumarkuna u guulaysanlahaa; qoraalkiina waa kan isagoo ingliish kuqoran.
Open Letter to His Excellency
President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi (Ciro)
President of the Republic of Somaliland
Subject: Concerns Over the Leasing of Semi-Arid Agricultural Land in Togwajaale
Your Excellency,
With the highest respect and sense of duty, I write to you on behalf of concerned communities in and around Togwajaale regarding the government’s recent decision to lease semi-arid agricultural land to a private company. I wish to bring to your attention the long-standing history, communal importance, and current challenges surrounding this land, as well as to humbly appeal for your immediate intervention.
Historical Importance of the Land.
For more than thirty years, the semi-arid agricultural land of Togwajaale has been under government authority, temporarily cultivated by different state divisions—including the police, military, and other command structures. Despite this arrangement, the land was not alienated from the community. On the contrary, it remained the backbone of local livelihoods, serving as a major grazing area and cultivation site.
This land has been particularly vital for livestock feeding, especially for commercial oxen sold at the Togwajaale livestock market, one of the most important hubs in the region. In addition, the availability of water dams and grazing space supported pastoralists and traders who relied on it as a shared resource.
The New Leasing Arrangement
Recently, however, the government leased approximately 5,800 square hectares of this land to a private agricultural company known as Phara. The terms of the lease have raised serious alarm:
- The land was granted at a symbolic rate of $10 per hectare, without clear contractual limits.
- Agricultural equipment is exempted from taxation, further reducing state and community benefit.
- The company reserves full control over employment, with the exception of three local coordinators.
- Communities’ benefits are reduced merely to access to two water dams.
Such conditions are far less than what the people of Togwajaale previously enjoyed, when the land directly supported their livestock, trade, and daily survival.
Community Concerns.
Your Excellency, the communities view this arrangement as both insufficient and unjust. Their concerns are as follows:
1. Loss of communal rights – The land has always been regarded as a communal resource. Handing it over to a private company undermines pastoralist traditions and erodes local survival systems.
2. Minimal benefits – The limited access to water dams and three employment coordinators cannot replace the wide-ranging benefits the community historically derived.
3. Economic imbalance – Leasing such valuable land at such a low cost, with tax exemptions and unlimited rights for the company, effectively transfers public wealth to private hands.
Broader Implications for Somaliland.
Your Excellency, this issue is not only about Togwajaale. It touches upon the larger principles of land governance, transparency, and fairness in Somaliland. Mismanagement of semi-arid land risks:
- Undermining public trust in state institutions.
- Triggering local disputes, as land is a sensitive issue that often sparks tribal or political conflicts.
- Weakening stability, especially when citizens feel excluded from resources essential for their livelihoods.
A Humble Appeal for Action
I respectfully appeal to Your Excellency to review and reconsider this decision. A more balanced approach would:
- Guarantee community participation in land-use decisions.
- Ensure fair benefits and compensation to the people of Togwajaale.
- Place clear contractual limits on private investors.
- Safeguard the sustainability of semi-arid lands, avoiding exploitation.
Above all, I urge that the Togwajaale case be managed under the same principles that guided government handling of other semi-arid lands such as Aroori and, more recently, Qooladay, where a fairer balance between state, community, and investors was achieved.
Consistency in land management not only protects citizens’ rights but also strengthens government legitimacy.
Conclusion.
Your Excellency, Togwajaale’s semi-arid land is not just an agricultural plot. It is a community lifeline—a resource that has sustained generations of pastoralists, traders, and farmers. Leasing it away under current terms threatens both livelihoods and social cohesion.
I appeal to you, as President of Somaliland and custodian of justice, to act decisively to protect the rights of the people and to ensure that national resources are managed with fairness, transparency, and accountability.
Respectfully submitted,
Eng. Musa Abdillahi Nour
Expert in International Relations and Diplomacy
