Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/SOMALIA: Local elders have said that more than ten people were killed as fighting erupted between government forces and militias in a contested town in the self-declared Somaliland republic.
According to the AFP, the town, of Las Anod, claimed by both Puntland, a northern state in Somaliland, and Somalia, which broke away from the rest of the state in 1991 but has not been recognized globally.
The angry demonstration broke out in the disputed border town the previous month, with opposition parties and right groups accusing government forces of shooting dead many protesters.
Somaliland Town
The latest violence has occurred hours after elders from the Sool region, where Las Anod has located and issued a statement pledging support for “the unity and integrity of the Somali Republic” and urging Somaliland authorities to withdraw their armed forces from the place.
Mohamed Kahin Ahmed, Somaliland’s interior minister, blamed militias allied with elders for the violence, accusing them of attacking military camps.
Amed said that “Around 5:30 this morning, forces armed with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades attacked some of the camps of the national forces,”.
He also said that “the attackers involved in the heavy fighting are forces who have been organized by the traditional elders.”
Elders told AFP that the civilians had died in the ensuing violence. Mohamed Sheik Adan told AFP that “We have confirmed the death of 13 citizens including children among them,” said one elder. “It is sad the Somaliland armed forces are using heavy weapons and are shelling the town.”
Another elder, Hirsi Farah Magan, said although the fighting had subsided, the atmosphere still remained tense.
He said that “More than ten people were confirmed dead so far. I saw the bodies of three children and their mother were killed after a mortar shell struck their home.”
