Armed clashes have been taking place on the Somaliland-Somalia border around the disputed town of Las Anod for about 20 days. The fighting has now moved up the road, closer to the neighboring Somali state of Puntland, which Somaliland now accuses of having “ offensive his army.
Somaliland’s defense minister accuses this Monday. He says Puntland has “ offensive his forces around Las Anod and in Tukaraq on the road to Garowe, the administrative capital of Puntland, a road on which fighting was indeed reported.
” We have no other choice, said Abdiqani Mahamoud Ateye, than to defend our territory and protect our people. »
Somaliland Gov wishes to inform the world that forces from Somalia’s Puntland Region have attacked our forces today. We have no option but to defend our territory & protect our people. We strongly condemn this act of aggression and are determined to stand up for our sovereignty. pic.twitter.com/InAhLzewb7
— Abdiqani Mahamoud Ateye (@AbdiqaniMin) February 27, 2023
On Sunday, his government had however announced the quartering of his army far from Las Anod. But nothing has been done on the ground, without it being possible to determine, from an independent source, what is really going on there.
The Somaliland government said “ to alert Monday the international community that the administration of Puntland has now ” declared war ” in ” openly aligninghe said, with terrorist groups seeking to occupy and expand its influence in the Horn of Africa “, without further details.
Puntland authorities, for their part, did not comment. The “Advisory Committee” of Las Anod, which represents the city’s opposition forces, on the other hand blamed the fighting on its opponents, in a press release. ” We will defend ourselves as long as Somaliland forces attack us “, did he declare.
► See also Somaliland: “about 100 dead” following clashes in Las Anod