Somaliland declares an uneasy ceasefire after nearly 200 dead in fighting in Las Anod

11 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The administration of the Somali separatist region of Somaliland, has announced this past Friday the beginning of an unconditional ceasefire, followed hours after a resumption of hostilities, to put an end to a new wave of clashes in the city of Las Anod that It has left at least 200 dead in recent days, according to medical sources.

Fighting broke out in this town, the administrative center of the Sool region, between Somaliland forces and militant groups on Monday after local leaders represented in the so-called Sool, Sanaag and Cayn Regions Unity and Salvation Authority (SSC ) declared their intention to rejoin federal Somalia.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but has not gained wide international recognition for its status and has faced opposition from some clan elders in disputed areas along its border with Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland state.

After five days of fighting, the Somali Defense Minister, Abdiqani Mahamoud Ateye, announced on his Twitter account that “the Somaliland government agreed to an unconditional ceasefire tonight (for Friday) despite previous attacks by militias “.

Traditional leaders of the SSC, such as Garad Jama, have declared themselves “completely willing to accept the ceasefire as long as the enemy shows that they want to talk,” he explained in statements collected by the Shabelle Media Network. Medical sources have confirmed to the medium that almost two hundred people have died from this wave of violence.

However, and hours after announcing the agreement, the Somaliland Ministry of the Interior has denounced new fighting in the city and surroundings against a base in Las Anod, although there is no record of casualties at the moment.

The fighting broke out Monday hours after regional clan leaders claimed they were loyal to federal authorities and stressed they would abide by the constitution, sparking criticism from Somaliland authorities, who seized control of the city some 15 years ago. years.

Faced with this situation, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, demanded on Tuesday that the Somali authorities carry out a “credible and impartial” investigation into the clashes and warned of their impact on “an already fragile humanitarian situation in the region”.