The former British territory, whose independence of 1991 is not recognized by the international community, is in the grip of clashes between independence forces and loyal militias in Somali power.
MO12345lemonde with AFP
At least 210 civilians have been killed for twenty-four days in Las Anod, Somaliland, a separatist region of Somalia where clashes broke out between loyal militias in the power of Mogadishu and independence forces, according to the city mayor. “210 civilians were killed and 680 others injured” in the disputed city in Las Anod, said at a press conference Abdirahim Ali Ismail, saying 200,000 people had fled the clashes.
A previous assessment, given on February 23 by the director of a city hospital, reported 96 dead. According to Las Anos councilor, “750 houses have been destroyed” and “all government facilities have been bombed”.
Ancient British territory, Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991, an act not recognized by the international community. This region has known for relative stability since Somalia has been ravaged by decades of civil war and Islamist insurgency.
“desperate situation”
Political tensions have however emerged in recent months, leading to fighting between Somalilandis forces and loyal militias in the Somali government, mainly in the Las Anod region, claimed both by Somaliland and its neighbor of Puntland, Another Somali region.
The last violence started twenty-four days ago, on February 6, a few hours after customary chiefs had published a statement to support “the unity and integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia “, urging the Somaliland authorities to withdraw their forces from the region. A ceasefire was decreed on February 10 by the authorities, but the two parties accuse each other of having violated it.
On February 28, a hospital in which Médecins sans frontières (MSF) had been targeted “for the fourth time in three weeks”, according to the NGO. “What we are witnessing today is a desperate situation where human suffering (…) is immense”, according to MSF.
The fights have reacted the international community, Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Great Britain and the United States calling on Tuesday in a joint statement at the end of the violence. The signatory countries “have expressed their concern in the process of the current conflict (…) and called on all the parties to respect the ceasefire (…) to allow unhindered humanitarian access and to engage in a constructive dialogue and Pacific “.
lack of international recognition
On February 16, the Local UN (OCHA) Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Office said that more than 185,000 people, 89 % of whom were women and children, had fled the violence of Las Anod. Many found no other refuge than the shadow of a tree or schools that have closed due to violence, added Ocha.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called “the authorities to conduct a credible and impartial investigation.” The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has its On the assertive side, on February 17, that “more than 60,000 Somalians, mainly children and women” fled to anod to win the south-east of neighboring Ethiopia.
These refugees arrived there “exhausted and traumatized”, underlined the UNHCR, specifying that the resources to help them were limited to Somali, an Ethiopian region which currently undergoes a record drought.
Somaliland prints its own currency, issues its passports and elects its government, but the lack of international recognition maintains it in isolation. Important and coveted commercial crossroads between Somaliland and Puntland, Las Anod has changed hands several times in recent decades.