Tuesday December 31, 2024
Garowe (HOL) — Puntland's regional administration announced on Monday that trucks from Ethiopia's Somali Regional State will temporarily be exempt from import taxes following the recent deadly conflict in a small border village between the Somali region and Somaliland.
The Puntland Ministry of Finance stated that customs duties on vehicles and license plate taxes had been waived for the trucks. "All checkpoints in Puntland have been ordered to fully cooperate with trucks, facilitating road traffic until they reach the ports of Garacad and Bosaso," the ministry said.
The conflict in Dawacaley, which intensified on December 25, has severely disrupted trade routes for trucks transporting goods from Somaliland's Berbera port. Many of these vehicles have now redirected their operations to Puntland's Bosaso and Garacad ports to sustain business activities.
The violence began when Liyu Police forces attacked Dawacaley, leading to civilian deaths, the destruction of homes, and the abduction of elders traveling from Hargeisa for peace negotiations. Somaliland's government denounced the attack as "genocide" and called for accountability for those responsible.