Somalia: Former Bay region Governor escorted by armed forces to Mogadishu 21 Feb 21, 2013 - 9:52:58 AM
BAIDOA, Somalia Feb 21 2013 (Garowe Online) - Sacked Governor of Bay region, Abdifatah Mohamed Geesey was escorted by armed forces and put on a plane to Mogadishu, after he had refused to accept the new governor, Garowe Online reports.
According to government sources, a plane sent from the Somali National Security forces was sent to Baidoa to take the former Governor to Mogadishu.
The sources told GO that they couldn't verify if Geesey was arrested or take into custody.
Former Governor Geesey and the new Bay region Governor Abdi Adan Hasow had been at odds which caused a security scare in the region.
The new regional officials assigned to Baidoa were unable to work due to the dispute. Earlier this month, a delegation from Mogadishu was sent to smooth things over.
Geesey had publicly stated that he was still governor and according to sources had the support of many military officers.
Ethiopian and Somali government troops stationed outside Baidoa were called in from their posts to safeguard security in the city.
The source told GO, that the military presence in Baidoa - capital of Bay region - has decreased and the high level tension has eased dramatically.
Mogadishu based sources have told GO that Geesey was promised another title in government.
The move to sack Geesey as governor came at a time when Bay and Bakool region were preparing for a state formation conference. Critics of the Somali Federal Government told GO that the firing was a bid to influence the state formation of the region.
