Somalilandsun- Despite many past incidents Monday the 20th Oct 2018 enters the annals of history as the deadliest day for residents of Dhumey village in Sool Region of Somaliland.
From early morning to late afternoon over 100 residents were killed while a similar number was injured in deadly clashes during recurrent clashes by the Dhulbahante tribe’s sub-clans of Qayaad and Baharsame
According to the governor of Sool Abdirashid Hussein Abdi, the regional hospital in Las Anod is now treating over 80 people who sustained injuries during the Monday clashes.
“While the number of dead is almost 100 medics expect a rise owing to the serious injuries incurred by some of the survivors being treated at the Sool regional hospital” said the regional administrator
Dhumey village and scene of the deadly skirmishes is Located 20 kilometers South of Las Anod, the Sool Regional capital.
Following the deadly clashes resulting in colossal loss of life the president of somaliland extended a message of peace to the warring clans while urging the Sool regional administration, traditional leaders and security agencies to intervene expeditiously.
This is not the first time for the two sub-clans of the main Dhulbahante clan of Sool region to engage in deadly clashes coming in the heels of the September engagement that ended up with over 40 dead and many others injured, among many past such.
The litany of this recurring conflict in the number of dead can go on and on but Irony is the two clans continue to kill each other despite entering into several reconciliation agreements brokered by the central government and traditional leaders.
Also ironic is that the two are closest relatives within the main Dhulbahante clan thence the issue of disputed grazing lands and watering holes resulting in never ending deaths is questionable.
With this in mind one would not wonder whether the conflict between Somaliland and Puntland is the actual reasons.
Puntland is a Regional administrative region of Somalia and lays claims to jurisdictional authority over entire Sool region and eastern Sanaag Region of Somaliland.
While many believe that Somalia is waging a proxy war in Somaliland through Puntland the end to this war can only be brought to end by intervention by the international community.
To show the magnitude of this mischief and apart from funding clan clashes in Sool region, the president of Puntland was recently in the warpath when he held a cabinet meeting in Bashan Town , in the east of Erigavo , the regional capital of Sanaag.
This flagrant violation of Somaliland territorial integrity only met with verbal warnings by the administration in Hargeisa which adheres to mediation by the IC.
With Puntland and in extension the Somalia Federal Authorities in Mogadishu continued aggression of Somaliland with eastern Sanaag and Sool regions as reason, the IC needs to finally bring this conflict to conclusion.
According to the IC the only way to end these hostilities dubbed “Cold War between Hargeisa and Mogadishu” is to resume the stalled internationally sanctioned talks between Somaliland and Somalia.
The talks initiated during the 2012 London’s conference on Somalia and hosted by Turkey floundered after the fifth phase following perpetual on adherence to agreements by Somalia.
Though the SFG failure implement agreements is usually touted as behind talks collapse, point Any is discrepancy in objective in which Somaliland says its sovereignty is neither for discussions nor negotiable while Somalia is adamant that talks are for reunification.
Somaliland a former British Protectorate withdrew from its 1960 voluntary later Fateful union with Somalia a former Italian colony 28 years ago.
Back to the recurring clan conflict in Sool region and the proxy war waged by Somalia against Somaliand through Puntland, cessation of this bloodbath is not through resumption of talks but the clear identification and clarification of borders now disputed between this two countries.
The present day somaliland-somalia boundaries were demarcated over 100 years ago jointly by the British, Italians and Ethiopians thence a strong statement indicating the exact coordinates is surely the only remedy.
But as the IC keeps silent, Somalia waging a proxy war and Somaliland pursuing peaceful resolution then deaths and injuries among innocent residents of Sool region shall prevail
Read: Preventing Possible Renewed Border Conflict between Somaliland and Somalia’s Puntland-FCSS
