The Supreme Council of SSC-Khatumo sent a message of regret to the federal government following criticism , from the traditional clan chief of Dhulbahante, who alleged that the federal government was secretly supporting Somaliland in its military campaign against the SCC militia
in Las Anod town. In a statement released on Thursday, the council emphasized the need for the government to distinguish between elders who support Somalia’s unity and those who support Somaliland’s independence.
Additionally, they expressed gratitude for the help the government in nursing and welcoming those who had been adversely affected during the Las Anod conflict.
Fighting between militia from the Dhulbahante clan in northern Somalia and forces from the self-declared state of Somaliland has been going on in the disputed city of Las Anod since February 6. The traditional clan chief of Dhulbahante and head of the 33-member SSC traditional council, Garad Jama Garad Ali, publicly criticized the federal government, led by President Hassan Sheikh and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, for their alleged involvement in the Las Aonod bombardment earlier this month during a public meeting in Nairobi. Garad Jama claimed that the Somali government was impeding international efforts to sanction Somaliland. He said, “They (the Federal Government of Somalia) are supporting the raids on Las Anod by Somaliland and undermining efforts to apply pressure to the Las Anood issue on the international level.”
Data from Las Anod hospitals show that 299 people have died, 1,913 have been injured, and more than 200,000 have been displaced since the conflict commenced. The federal government began transporting those who had been harmed in the ongoing violence in Las Anod to Mogadishu for medical attention in February. The injured were airlifted from the airport in Garowe, Puntland’s regional hub. The SSC-Khatuma and Somaliland officials have been urged by the federal government of Somalia to immediately put an end to the fighting in Las Anod town and to respect the wishes of the Sool, Sanaag, and Ayn communities. The federal government is prepared to take part in and organize a peace conference to defuse the tense situation in Las Anod town, according to Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
