Saturday July 5, 2025
Las Anod (HOL) — At least one civilian was killed and
several others wounded on Saturday following a confrontation between Puntland
security forces and a group of armed fighters loyal to Abdirashid Yusuf
Jibriil, the former speaker of the Puntland Parliament.
The clash took place in Ceelbuh, a village in the Sanaag
region, where Puntland state recently deployed troops to counter what it
described as efforts by local politicians to align the entire Sanaag region
with the SSC-Khaatumo administration.
The deployment also aimed to halt a planned
self-determination conference in the Ceelbuh area, which Puntland authorities
viewed as a threat to regional stability and sovereignty.
Tensions escalated further with the presence of Abdirashid
Yusuf Jibriil in the area. Jibriil, a prominent political figure, has openly
advocated for Sanaag to be administered under SSC-Khaatumo—a regional
administration formed by communities in Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn.
Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni and Vice President
Ahmed Elmi Osman Karash recently accused Somalia’s federal government of
politically interfering in the region. They alleged that Mogadishu was using
politicians from Sanaag to destabilize Puntland’s authority in the contested
area.
Amid growing fears of renewed armed conflict, local elders
and intellectuals in the Sanaag region have stepped in to mediate. As part of
ongoing peace efforts, the proposed self-determination conference in Ceelbuh
has been temporarily suspended to ease tensions and prevent further violence.