HARGEISA, Somalia – The President of Somaliland, Muse Bihi Abdi, spoke today about the fighting that took place yesterday in the Sool region, especially in the Goojacade camp.
Muse Bihi said that his troops would take revenge for the losses inflicted by the SSC-Khatumo. Bihi was a meeting with the Wadani party and Somaliland army officials.
“Yesterday, we suffered our biggest setback since the fighting in LasAnod started 8 months ago. This will not go unrevenged,” said Bihi, calling on the public to count on their army.
SSC-Khatumo forces overrun the military base – Goojacade after heavy fighting. The camp was the command centre and was used for the shelling of LasAnod for months, per officials.
Somaliland declared its independence from Mogadishu in 1991 and, although it is not recognized as such, operates autonomously from the Somali government.
In February, officials associated with the Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn (SSC) regions declared they would be administered by the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS); the Somaliland government rejected the decision.
As of August, the conflict has displaced between 900,000 and 1000,000 civilians, and the casualties are reportedly in the hundreds, according to the aid agencies.
Fighting erupted thereafter. The fighting comes amid the backdrop of persistent tensions between Somaliland and Puntland. Sool region was the flashpoint of the conflict between the two states since 2007.
