Las Anod conflict (2023–present): Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox Military Conflict |
{{Infobox Military Conflict |
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| conflict = 2023 Las Anod conflict |
| conflict = 2023 Las Anod conflict |
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| combatant2 = |
| combatant2 = [[Dhulbahante]] clan leaders |
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* {{flag|Khatumo}} [[Dhulbahante]] clan leaders |
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| casualties3 = 145+ people dead<ref name="washpost-faruk-2023-03-04"/><br/>100,000 civilians displaced<ref name="unhcr-2023-03-07"/> |
| casualties3 = 145+ people dead<ref name="washpost-faruk-2023-03-04"/><br/>100,000 civilians displaced<ref name="unhcr-2023-03-07"/> |
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| casualties2 = |
| casualties2 = |
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| combatant1 = {{flag|Somaliland}}<br/> |
| combatant1 = {{flag|Somaliland}}<br/> |
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* {{Army|Somaliland}} |
* {{Army|Somaliland}} |
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| partof = [[Puntland–Somaliland dispute]] |
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| result = |
| result = |
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| territory = |
| territory = |
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}} |
}} |
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{{Campaignbox Puntland-Somaliland dispute (1998-present)}} |
{{Campaignbox Puntland-Somaliland dispute (1998-present)}} |
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The '''2023 [[Las Anod]] conflict''' is an ongoing bilateral armed conflict between militias of the [[Dhulbahante]] clan and [[Somaliland National Army]] that ensued in the capital of the [[Sool, Somalia|Sool]] region. Fighting erupted on February 6 |
The '''2023 [[Las Anod]] conflict''' is an ongoing bilateral armed conflict between militias of the [[Dhulbahante]] clan and [[Somaliland National Army]] that ensued in the capital of the [[Sool, Somalia|Sool]] region. Fighting erupted on February 6 after [[Somaliland]] security forces held a violent crackdown on civil protests.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ali |first=Faisal |date=7 February 2023 |title=At least 24 dead in Somaliland fighting |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/07/at-least-24-dead-in-somaliland-fighting |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222195358/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/07/at-least-24-dead-in-somaliland-fighting |archive-date=22 February 2023 |access-date=26 February 2023 |website=The Guardian}}</ref><ref name="voanews-nor-2023-06-01">{{cite web|date=2023-06-01|last=Sheikh-Nor|first=Mohamed|title=Somaliland Withdraws Troops from Disputed Town to Halt Violence|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/somaliland-withdraws-troops-from-disputed-town-to-halt-violence/6907540.html|website=Voice of America English News|access-date=2023-02-26|archive-date=2023-02-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215013629/https://www.voanews.com/a/somaliland-withdraws-troops-from-disputed-town-to-halt-violence/6907540.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On February 8, the supreme [[Garad]] of [[Dhulbahante]], [[Garad Jama Garad Ali]], accused the Somaliland government of genocide and declared the Las Anod community's intent to be governed from [[Mogadishu]] under the [[Federal Government of Somalia]].<ref name="garowe-2023-02-09">{{Cite web |date=2023-02-09 |title=Somalia: We are witnessing genocide in Las Anod - elder |url=https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/somalia-we-are-witnessing-genocide-in-las-anod-elder |access-date=2023-03-03 |website=Garowe Online |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ali |first1=Garad Jama |author1-link=Garad Jama Garad Ali |title=Garad Jama Ali declares Dhulbahante intent to merge Sool with federal Somali government - BBC |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy8WuvjoGDs |website=youtube.com |publisher=[[BBC World News]] |language=en |format=video |date=March 19, 2023}}</ref> The conflict has killed 145+ people and displaced 100,000 refugees, either externally to [[Ethiopia–Somaliland border|Buuhodle and the Ethiopian border]] or internally to [[Garowe]] in [[Puntland]].<ref name="washpost-faruk-2023-03-04">{{Cite news|last=Faruk|first=Omar|date=2023-03-04|title=Doctor in embattled Somaliland city says at least 145 dead|language=en-US|website=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/somaliland-somalia-conflict/2023/03/04/658c647a-ba7b-11ed-b0df-8ca14de679ad_story.html|access-date=2023-03-10|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref name="unhcr-2023-03-07">{{Cite web |date=2023-03-07 |title=UNHCR teams and partners rush assistance to some 100,000 newly arrived Somali refugees in hard-to-reach area of Ethiopia |url=https://www.unhcr.org/uk/news/briefing/2023/3/64070a444/unhcr-teams-partners-rush-assistance-100000-newly-arrived-somali-refugees.html |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=UNHCR}}</ref> On March 16, Somaliland troops were reported to be shelling civilians from the surrounding area.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2023-03-16 |title=Somalia: Somaliland asked to withdraw troops from SSC regions |url=https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/somalia-somaliland-asked-to-withdraw-troops-from-ssc-regions |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=Garowe Online |language=en}}</ref> |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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{{Update|section|date=March 2023}} |
{{Update|section|date=March 2023}} |
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After mass protests continuing from December into January 2023, the retreat of the Somaliland troops paved the way for the return of the exiled |
After mass protests continuing from December into January 2023, the retreat of the Somaliland troops paved the way for the return of the exiled supreme Garad of [[Dhulbahante]], [[Garad Jama Garad Ali]].<ref name="garowe-2023-02-09"/> Rumor spread of a grand meeting of all Dhulbahante clan elders, followed by speculation that the elders would vote to exile Somaliland security forces from the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grand entry of exiled traditional elders in Las Anod major concerns for Somaliland |url=https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/grand-entry-of-exiled-traditional-elders-in-las-anod-major-concerns-for-somaliland |access-date=2023-03-03 |website=Garowe Online |language=en}}</ref> On February 6, 2023, this vote was prevented when fighting broke out between Somaliland troops and defending Dhulbahante militias in the Sayadka Hill suburb of Las Anod (reportedly home to two committee members). |
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Within the same week of February, fighting and civilian bombardments had killed at least 82 people in total and displaced 90% of the residents. The region had produced 185,000 internally displaced people and 60,000 refugees in February.<ref name="guardian-ahmed-2023-02-22">{{cite web|last=Ahmed|first=Kaamil|date=2023-02-22|title=Tens of thousands of refugees flee from Somaliland clashes|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/feb/22/tens-of-thousands-of-refugees-flee-from-somaliland-clashes|website=The Guardian|access-date=2023-02-26|archive-date=2023-02-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225094326/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/feb/22/tens-of-thousands-of-refugees-flee-from-somaliland-clashes|url-status=live}}</ref> On March 2, the mayor of Las Anod reported that Somaliland forces were bombing public buildings from the surrounding countryside including government institutions and hospitals. The UN also reported a casualty count of over 200 deaths.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-02 |title=More than 200 killed, nearly 700 wounded in Somaliland clashes |url=https://www.trtworld.com/africa/more-than-200-killed-nearly-700-wounded-in-somaliland-clashes-65785 |access-date=2023-03-18 |website=TRT World |language=en}}</ref> |
Within the same week of February, fighting and civilian bombardments had killed at least 82 people in total and displaced 90% of the residents. The region had produced 185,000 internally displaced people and 60,000 refugees in February.<ref name="guardian-ahmed-2023-02-22">{{cite web|last=Ahmed|first=Kaamil|date=2023-02-22|title=Tens of thousands of refugees flee from Somaliland clashes|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/feb/22/tens-of-thousands-of-refugees-flee-from-somaliland-clashes|website=The Guardian|access-date=2023-02-26|archive-date=2023-02-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225094326/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/feb/22/tens-of-thousands-of-refugees-flee-from-somaliland-clashes|url-status=live}}</ref> On March 2, the mayor of Las Anod reported that Somaliland forces were bombing public buildings from the surrounding countryside including government institutions and hospitals. The UN also reported a casualty count of over 200 deaths.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-02 |title=More than 200 killed, nearly 700 wounded in Somaliland clashes |url=https://www.trtworld.com/africa/more-than-200-killed-nearly-700-wounded-in-somaliland-clashes-65785 |access-date=2023-03-18 |website=TRT World |language=en}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 11:17, 19 March 2023
| 2023 Las Anod conflict | |||||
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 Las Anod, Sool region | |||||
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| Belligerents | |||||
| Dhulbahante clan leaders | |||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
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145+ people dead[1] 100,000 civilians displaced[2] | |||||
The 2023 Las Anod conflict is an ongoing bilateral armed conflict between militias of the Dhulbahante clan and Somaliland National Army that ensued in the capital of the Sool region. Fighting erupted on February 6 after Somaliland security forces held a violent crackdown on civil protests.[3][4] On February 8, the supreme Garad of Dhulbahante, Garad Jama Garad Ali, accused the Somaliland government of genocide and declared the Las Anod community's intent to be governed from Mogadishu under the Federal Government of Somalia.[5][6] The conflict has killed 145+ people and displaced 100,000 refugees, either externally to Buuhodle and the Ethiopian border or internally to Garowe in Puntland.[1][2] On March 16, Somaliland troops were reported to be shelling civilians from the surrounding area.[7]
Background
Las Anod had been controlled by Somaliland since 2007, who ousted the Puntland army from the regional capital in 2007 with local militia support. The clan militias supporting Somaliland were loyal to Ahmed Abdi Habsade, a Puntland minister who defected to Somaliland and then returned to Puntland.[8][9] In particular, the security situation reported to have severely declined under Somaliland's control. The Raad Peace Research Institute in Mogadishu reported that "120 prominent clan and community leaders were assassinated" between 2007 and 2022 in the city proper.[10]
In December 2022, civil demonstration and unrest began to spread northwest across the Sool region, from Taleex to Kalabaydh, Xudun, Boocame and Tukaraq, driven by percieved political marginalization in Somaliland.[11] The protests were triggered by the death of Abdifatah Abdulli Hadrawi, a popular politician in the Waddani opposition party.[12] When the mass civil demonstration reached Las Anod, Somaliland security forces held a violent crackdown on the protestors in the final week of December 2022 which killed 20 people. Following bilateral talks, Somaliland troops retreated from the city to their Sool outposts to prevent further violence.[4]
Clashes
 | This section needs to be updated. (March 2023) |
After mass protests continuing from December into January 2023, the retreat of the Somaliland troops paved the way for the return of the exiled supreme Garad of Dhulbahante, Garad Jama Garad Ali.[5] Rumor spread of a grand meeting of all Dhulbahante clan elders, followed by speculation that the elders would vote to exile Somaliland security forces from the city.[13] On February 6, 2023, this vote was prevented when fighting broke out between Somaliland troops and defending Dhulbahante militias in the Sayadka Hill suburb of Las Anod (reportedly home to two committee members).
Within the same week of February, fighting and civilian bombardments had killed at least 82 people in total and displaced 90% of the residents. The region had produced 185,000 internally displaced people and 60,000 refugees in February.[14] On March 2, the mayor of Las Anod reported that Somaliland forces were bombing public buildings from the surrounding countryside including government institutions and hospitals. The UN also reported a casualty count of over 200 deaths.[15]
See also
References
- ^ a b Faruk, Omar (2023-03-04). "Doctor in embattled Somaliland city says at least 145 dead". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ a b "UNHCR teams and partners rush assistance to some 100,000 newly arrived Somali refugees in hard-to-reach area of Ethiopia". UNHCR. 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- ^ Ali, Faisal (7 February 2023). "At least 24 dead in Somaliland fighting". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ a b Sheikh-Nor, Mohamed (2023-06-01). "Somaliland Withdraws Troops from Disputed Town to Halt Violence". Voice of America English News. Archived from the original on 2023-02-15. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
- ^ a b "Somalia: We are witnessing genocide in Las Anod - elder". Garowe Online. 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
- ^ Ali, Garad Jama (March 19, 2023). "Garad Jama Ali declares Dhulbahante intent to merge Sool with federal Somali government - BBC" (video). youtube.com. BBC World News.
- ^ "Somalia: Somaliland asked to withdraw troops from SSC regions". Garowe Online. 2023-03-16. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- ^ "Garowe Online – Home". 2007-10-22. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
- ^ Hoehne, Markus Virgil. "Between Somaliland and Puntland" (PDF). Rift Valley Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-07-01. Retrieved 2023-02-26 – via Reliefweb.
- ^ Dhaysane, Mohammed (2023-02-22). "At least 112 people killed in fighting in Somaliland". Anadolu Agency. Archived from the original on 2023-02-26. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
- ^ Kulkarni, Pavan (2023-01-18). "Protests in Breakaway Somaliland Call for Reunification with Somalia". Toward Freedom. Archived from the original on 2023-01-29. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
- ^ "More than 20 'pro-greater Somalia' protesters killed in Lasanod". Garowe Online. 2022-12-31. Archived from the original on 2023-02-11. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
- ^ "Grand entry of exiled traditional elders in Las Anod major concerns for Somaliland". Garowe Online. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
- ^ Ahmed, Kaamil (2023-02-22). "Tens of thousands of refugees flee from Somaliland clashes". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2023-02-25. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
- ^ "More than 200 killed, nearly 700 wounded in Somaliland clashes". TRT World. 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-18.