Global Courant 2023-05-10 15:15:34
Fighting has been raging in the disputed town of Las Anod since February 6 between troops in the self-proclaimed state of Somaliland and local militias from the Dhulbahante clan in northern Somalia.
Also known as Las Anod, the city is located between Somaliland and Puntland, a nearby semi-autonomous region in northeastern Somalia. Both regions lay claim to the city.
According to data from hospitals in Las Anod, the death toll stands at 299, with 1,913 injured and more than 200,000 displaced since the conflict began.
Somaliland’s forces have retreated about 50 km (31 mi) further west from the military base in Tukaraq, to military bases on the outskirts of Las Anod, and are said to be launching attacks from there.
But analysts say the war is not only causing chaos in Somaliland, long celebrated for its relative stability compared to Somalia, but also undermining the region’s campaign for international recognition.
The international community still considers the region part of Somalia, despite decades of lobbying by regional officials on the foreign scene.
Division and secession
The region bills itself as a successor state to the state of Somaliland which existed in its current territory for five days in June 1960 and maintained relations with 35 countries including China, Ethiopia and Israel.
On July 1, 1960, the state of Somaliland voluntarily united with the Italian-ruled south to form the Somali Republic. Three decades later – in May 1991 – Somaliland declared its secession from Somalia and retook the borders of the old British Somaliland protectorate.
The secession came as Somalia’s military government led by Siad Barre attacked northern towns to crush an uprising by the Ethiopian-backed Somali National Movement (SNM).
Today, the federal government of Somalia consists of five states, including Puntland. Until 2007, when Somaliland seized Las Anod, the city was under the administration of Puntland.
Since breaking away, Somaliland has been dominated by the influential Isaaq clan, which overwhelmingly chose to secede from the rest of Somalia.
In Somalia and Somaliland, the clan structure predated colonial administration and is still a very fundamental part of life and administration there.
According to Markus Hoehne, a social anthropologist at the University of Leipzig who did research in the region, the Dhulbahante clan, who live in the areas of Sool, Sanaag and Buuhoodle, historically disputed between Somaliland and Puntland, disagreed with the idea . to divide the Somali state.
“(The) Dhulbahante were never eager to secede from Somalia, they consciously distanced themselves and did not participate fully in Somaliland’s elections in protest of Somaliland’s secession.”
Sool, Sanaag and Buuhoodle are now part of the SSC-Khaatumo state, which has also declared itself autonomous. The Dhulbahante also claim Las Anod as their capital.
Abdirashid Hashi, former director of the Mogadishu-based Heritage Institute for Policy Studies (HIPS), told Al Jazeera that the way Somaliland seceded laid the groundwork for conflict over its claimed borders.
“Dismembering a country is not something that can be done unilaterally,” he said.
However, Puntland’s Information Minister Mohamoud Dirir told Al Jazeera that the state now wants to leave the decision to the Dhulbahante clan. “Puntland has consistently stated that Puntland will support whatever decision the people of SSC-Khaatumo decide to make, whether they make their own federal member state or decide to rejoin Puntland.”
Intervention and impact
The conflict has highlighted the importance of the region’s security and stability to the rest of the world.
Somaliland’s international partners have consistently expressed dismay at Hargeisa’s handling of the conflict and the reported shelling of civilian areas and infrastructure in Las Anod.
During a telephone conversation with the President of Somaliland, Muse Bihi on May 3, Andrew Mitchell, the British Minister for Development and Africa, said, said“The economic potential in Somaliland is huge – but stability is fundamental to success.”
Mitchell also called for an immediate ceasefire and the need to create an electoral roadmap for the postponed presidential election to be held in November 2022.
On April 17, 15 international partners, including the European Union, the United States, Turkey and the UK, noted in a joint call with Bihi that the ongoing conflict and uncertainty over postponed elections are seriously affecting discussions about their involvement in Somaliland. .
In a post-call statement, they urged Somaliland to withdraw its troops from Las Anod to create conditions for a ceasefire and dialogue. The statement also added that while they noted Bihi’s “assurances to allow unimpeded humanitarian access”, they were “disappointed” that he had not committed to a troop withdrawal around the city.
Human rights activists and organizations have also called for a rapid de-escalation of the situation.
“The parties must engage in meaningful negotiations to facilitate a legitimate ceasefire,” Guleid Ahmed Jama, ex-chairman of the Hargeisa-based Human Rights Center (HRC), told Al Jazeera.
“The issue needs a peaceful conflict resolution mechanism, the international community/regional countries have a key role to play in facilitating negotiations and applying pressure,” he added.
On April 20, Amnesty International published the findings of their investigation into the ongoing conflict, concluding that Somaliland forces indiscriminately shelled the city, damaged hospitals, schools and mosques and displaced tens of thousands of people.
Our research on the #LasAnod conflict revealed that dozens of civilians were killed and injured during fighting. #Somalia troops indiscriminately shelled the city, damaging hospitals, schools and mosques and displacing tens of thousands of people. pic.twitter.com/05jgl2mJXZ
— Amnesty East Africa (@AmnestyEARO) April 20, 2023
Garaad Mukhtaar, a traditional elder of the Dhulbahante clan, welcomed the statements but called for more action from the international community.
“External mediators, for example UN peacekeepers, should be brought to Las Anod to facilitate a ceasefire between the two fighting sides,” he told Al Jazeera by phone from Las Anod.
“Muse Bihi has consistently called for a ceasefire and has not complied with it. The international community should also cut aid to Somaliland to further pressure the country to withdraw its troops from Las Anod.” added Mukhtaar.
But the lack of a truce is not due to a lack of attempts.
In Hargeisa, Bihi and Ted Lawrence, the acting director of USAID Somalia, met on May 4. Bihi pledged for a ceasefire, but Somaliland shelled Las Anod three days later, according to local reports.
Regional actors such as Ethiopia and Somalia have also tried unsuccessfully to intervene and have held meetings with both sides.
Dim diplomatic dreams
Meanwhile, analysts say the conflict has negatively impacted Somaliland’s positioning as a “democratic haven” and that its involvement with Western powers is at stake.
“Without the added value of democracy and peace, I think the international community will treat Somaliland little differently than a federal member state of Somalia,” Matthew Gordon, a PhD candidate in politics and international studies at SOAS University of London, told Al Jazeera. .
“Somaliland may retain its strategic importance, but it will lose its broader legitimacy among groups sympathetic to Somaliland’s independence if the conflict continues,” added Gordon, a former development worker in Hargeisa.
In addition to applying diplomatic pressure, the international community has sought to play an active role in ending the conflict, with US diplomats and the former Finnish envoy to the region flying to Hargeisa on numerous occasions.
Following the success of the 2021 local and parliamentary elections and a trip from Bihi to Washington, D.C., the US Congress amended the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which specifies the annual budget of its Department of Defense. This law pushed for more cooperation between the US and Somaliland.
A joint military exercise, Justified Accord, scheduled to take place in Somaliland’s Berbera in February, was canceled with no explanation from the Pentagon.
On March 30, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel outlined the willingness of the US to impose travel restrictions on officials responsible for undermining the democratic process in Somalia, including Somaliland.
Clan elders such as Mukhtaar have called for sanctions against Somaliland officials, and Hargeisa has yet to withdraw troops from the vicinity of Las Anod.
To make matters worse, the humanitarian situation in the area is dire.
“At a time when a devastating famine has already led to a loss of life and livelihoods, it is estimated that about 200,000 people have been forced to flee their homes,” Niyi Ojuolape, the representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Somalia, said. to Al Jazeera.
He urged Somaliland and the elders of the Dhulbahante clan to “engage in a constructive dialogue” to find lasting solutions to the conflict.
Still, Hargeisa believes the conflict has not affected her foreign status.
“Somaliland cooperates with its partners and has good relations with them,” Mohamed Hussein Jama Rambo, deputy chairman of Somaliland’s foreign affairs committee, told Al Jazeera. “We intend to continue working with our partners on issues such as development, peace and democratization.”
