Friday February 10, 2023
A home in Las Anod that was hit with a mortar round.Las Anod (HOL) - The Somaliland government blasted the international community on Friday after it received calls to de-escalate the violence in Las Anod.
Somaliland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it "categorically rejects all claims and false accusations regarding the current situation in Las'anod, the capital city of Somaliland's Sool region." The statement blamed "organized groups" for seeking to exploit the highly politicized environment.
"It is a great disappointment that members of the international community, including international organizations, have chosen to respond to false information concocted and weaponized by terrorist militia in regard to the Las'anod issue. By conveying and reacting to unverified misinformation, international entities have encouraged radicals to continue spreading inciting misinformation about Somaliland despite the country's three-decade-long track record for peace and democracy. The misinformation, spread through fake videos and images taken from the Yemen war, portrays the Somaliland government as an aggressor when in fact, the government has taken all necessary precautions to restore peace and stability in Las'anod."
In its statement, the US Embassy in Mogadishu implicitly criticized Somaliland for targeting civilians in Las Anod.
"Indiscriminate shelling of civilians is unacceptable and must stop. We call for an immediate de-escalation of violence in Lascanod, protection of civilians, unimpeded humanitarian access and for tensions to be resolved peacefully through dialogue."
On Tuesday, over two dozen countries and intergovernmental organizations said they were
"gravely concerned" about the violence in a joint statement.
Amnesty International said it was "closely monitoring" the Las Anod conflict and was "appalled by the reports of large numbers of people killed, injured and displaced" as well as the reported damage to homes and hospitals. It also called on Somaliland and the SSC militias to end the violence and allow for "immediate unhindered access for humanitarian actors."
Somaliland responded that it had provided humanitarian assistance to residents who remained in Las Anod, including food, water, and medical treatment. It also reiterated that it did not start the conflict and was attacked on the morning of February 6th.
The fighting came as traditional elders and political leaders from the Sool and Sanaag (and Cayn) regions were preparing to
declare an autonomous regional state after being administered by Somaliland's secessionist government for 15 years.
Somaliland said Las Anod was "occupied by a terrorist militia linked to international terrorist organizations, Al Shabaab, and Puntland Security Forces."
The Al Qaeda-linked militant insurgency group, which has faced several stinging defeats in central and south Somalia in recent months, distanced itself from the Las Anod conflict.
In a statement published through its media affiliates, Al Shabaab called the claim "baseless."
"The Al-Shabaab movement confirms that the statement made by the (Somaliland) administration is baseless. Al-Shabaab will not accept that its name is being used as a pretext to destroy the life, wealth and honour of the people of Las Anod," said the news from Al-Shabaab.
The denial came days after a document circulating on social media purporting to be from the extremist group said it was actively fighting alongside the anti-Somaliland militia in Las Anod.
Several senior Somaliland officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somaliland, Dr. Isse Kayd Mohamud, have often repeated the unsubstantiated terrorist claim to the media since the clashes began last week.
"The Somaliland government is committed to its responsibility to take action and firmly stand against terrorist groups to protect the safety of Somaliland citizens within its territorial borders. During the critical time, members of the international community are advised to refrain from endorsing unsubstantiated misinformation that utterly distorts the current realities in Las'anod and further fuels current tensions."
At least 50 people have been killed in the nearly week-long clashes. The majority of the casualties fell on the first day of fighting on Monday when
32 people were killed. In addition, the UN estimates that over 100,000 people have been displaced during the conflict.