100,000 families flee clashes in Las Anod in Somaliland
Noriko Watanabe and Kanako Mita
Modern Tokyo Times
Clashes continue in Las Anod between Somaliland and forces that seek to rejoin Somalia. Accordingly, over 145 people have been killed since tensions erupted late in December.
Unlike Somalia, which faces an endless al-Shabaab Islamist insurgency, Somaliland is relatively stable. However, tensions, like now in Las Anod, occasionally break out.
Nations should assist the government of Somaliland, which needs international and regional investment. This should be done along with building bridges between Somaliland, Somalia, and the Somali state of Puntland.
Voice of America reports, “The director of a hospital in a disputed city in the Somaliland region says at least 145 people have been killed in more than two months of fighting between anti-government fighters and Somaliland security forces after local elders declared their intention to reunite with Somalia.”
Somaliland fears that al-Shabaab infiltrators are encouraging tensions. After all, the Islamists gain from the chaos, conflict, and division.
Africa News reports (last year), “For 30 years, Somaliland has tried unsuccessfully to convince the world of its case for statehood, holding democratic elections and avoiding the anarchy that engulfed the rest of Somalia.”
The Guardian reports, “The Sool region was claimed by Somaliland as part of its territory after it unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but its authority has been disputed by members of the Dhulbahante clan.”
The initial recent spark was the killing of Abdifatah Abdullahi Abdi – a regional opposition leader. Accordingly, when protests broke out, clashes soon emerged with the forces of Somaliland.
https://www.voanews.com/a/doctor-in-embattled-somaliland-city-says-145-dead/6989859.html
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