In brief
- Goobjoog News reported on 2018-01-13 that Dhusamareeb airport was inaugurated the day before, rebuilt by the local administration with residents' help.
- The report names no contractor, funder, donor, budget or contract value, and does not establish the airport's status after that date.
On 13 January 2018, Goobjoog News reported that Dhusamareeb airport had been inaugurated the day before, rebuilt by the local administration with the help of residents and, in the outlet's description, fully functional to offer services to the public.
The rehabilitation was carried out by the local administration with residents' contributions, according to Goobjoog News. The report names no contractor, funder, donor, budget, contract value or total project cost for the work.
Goobjoog News reported that the rehabilitated facility is named Ugaas Noor Airport and that it was officially opened by the first minister of the state, Sheikh Ahmed Shakir Ali, who expressed gratitude to those who made the public facility achievable.
What was said at the opening
Per Goobjoog News, First Minister Shakir said the facility used to be busy during the reign of the Siad Barre government and was neglected thereafter, and he urged people to continue with the same spirit to finalize the remaining part of the airport. That statement indicates part of the work remained at the time of the inauguration.
Goobjoog News reported that federal MP Ubah Tahlil Warsame landed at the airport leading a delegation. Local commissioner Maalim Noor Abdulle, who spoke at the event, welcomed MP Warsame and appealed to local people to be vigilant on maintaining security, according to the same report.
MP Warsame said she hoped the incumbent Somali administration would create peace in the central region, and Goobjoog News reported she is preparing for the welcoming of Somali president Farmaajo, expected to visit the region in the coming days. The report does not confirm whether that visit occurred.
Goobjoog News reported the inauguration was attended by officials from Galmudug State, traditional elders and local people. It placed the reopening in the context of an early December 2017 power-sharing formula between Galmudug state and Ahlu Sunnah wal Jamaah that ended a three-year conflict, which transferred the state capital to Dhusamareb, then under Ahlu Sunnah, designated the position of chief minister to Ahlu Sunnah and expanded the state assembly to accommodate the group. The report provides no agreement text or signatories.
What the report does not establish
The report does not name a contractor, funder or donor, and gives no contract value, budget or project cost. It does not establish what happened at the airport after 13 January 2018: whether it remained open, whether scheduled flights or passenger numbers followed, how much of the remaining work was finished, or its operating status today. It does not give the date or details of the naming of Ugaas Noor Airport, or documentation of the rehabilitation works.