Harare — At least 38 people were killed, and more than 130 others injured following two days of fighting in Las Anod town, in Somalia’s northern breakaway region of Somaliland, reports VOA.
Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has urged the Somali government to establish an objective, effective, and independent inquiry into the dozens of fatal skirmishes between security personnel and clan members in Las Anod that began on February 5.
“I call on the authorities to conduct a credible and impartial investigation into the clashes to determine who is responsible and hold them to account in fair trials, including the reported damage to homes.”
The clashes between Somaliland troops and local fighters follow weeks of unrest in the town, following the assassination of a local lawmaker by masked gunmen. It was the most recent in a string of killings that have occurred in the area over several years that the authorities have attributed to Al-Shabaab fighters.
The “enemy of Somaliland,” according to Somaliland’s president Muse Bihi Abdi, was responsible for the deaths.
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called for a cease-fire in Las Anod. In a speech, he stated that the dispute in Las Anod required a “political solution.”
This recent conflict also coincides with a debate over the future status of lands in eastern Somaliland, where a sizable percentage of inhabitants appear to favour Somalia’s unification. Since December 2022, tensions have increased in Las Anod, the disputed Sool region’s capital. The area has been a source of contention between Somaliland and Puntland, both of which claim ownership of the territory. Since seizing control of the Sool area from Puntland in 2008, Somaliland has been in charge of it. But there have been several clashes between the two groups in the area.
The Horn of Africa is one of the world’s most complicated and troubled areas.
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy.
Almost finished…
We need to confirm your email address.
To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you.
There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.
Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Sudan are all embroiled in lengthy political conflict stemming from local and national grievances, identity politics, and regional inter-state rivalry, according to the Social Science Research Council (SSRC).
Conflict and political unrest in north-east Africa – civil wars, uprisings and attacks by armed insurgents – along with the effects of climate change – are fuelling a famine, causing displacement, loss of livelihoods, and disrupting of food production and food supply chains.
Nearly one in four children under five years of age in Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and parts of Kenya, are suffering from chronic malnutrition. As a result, child mortality has increased, and many babies and young children who survive will be stunted for life, unable to ever reach their full mental and physical potential, according to Glory Chigogo, a Nairobi-based communications specialist.
President Calls for an Immediate End to Fighting in Somaliland
AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.
Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.
AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa – aggregating, producing and distributing 500 news and information items daily from over 100 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC.
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy.
Almost finished…
We need to confirm your email address.
To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you.
There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.