Somali Police warns over illegal felling of trees in Hiraan region

Hiraan police commander, Ali Duh Mahad has sent stern warning to those who cutting down trees saying his officers would no longer tolerate cutting of trees and would take legal action against them.

The warning follows the arrest of several people in Hiraan, for allegedly felling down trees in the region. The suspects apparently cut the trees to burn charcoal.

“Those arrested while involving cutting tree and burning charcoal will be arraign in court,” said Mahad who spoke to Goobjoog News

He underlined that he is giving first priority the fight against deforestation and burning of charcoal.

“The increased deforestation and over exploitation of trees has put them at risk of extinction” Mahad said.

Hiraaan administration and some of the regional states in Somalia including Galmudug state are carrying out initiatives to impose ban on tree felling to try and slow the rate at which the country’s trees are being steadily decimated for firewood and charcoal.

Somalia’s once-vast acacia forests now cover only nine percent of the nation and the ambitious reforestation campaigns of the previous administrations of Siad Barre and Gen. Mohammad Farah Aided are history.

The harvest is denuding the savannah and making portions of southern and central Somalia unsuitable for human habitation by accelerating soil erosion, reducing the arability of the land, depriving cattle and goats of shade in the savannah’s intense heat, reducing foliage for grazing camels, and killing tree root systems once capable of retaining moisture in the soil.