Somaliland: More than 200 killed and nearly 700 wounded in clashes between security forces and local clans
Twenty-four days of fighting, officials say, displaces 200,000 families in Las Anod town, which straddles a key trade route and is claimed by both Somaliland and neighbouring Puntland, a semi-autonomous state of Somalia.
More than 200 people lost their lives in over 24 days of clashes between security forces and clans in a disputed part of Somalia’s breakaway Somaliland region, an official has said.
The mayor of the contested town, Abdirahim Ali Ismail told a press conference on Thursday, “210 civilians were killed and 680 others were wounded in the fighting, which broke out between Somaliland forces and the local community in Las Anod.”
“The fighting started on the 6th of February 2023 and continued for 24 days,” he said, adding that 200,000 families had fled from their homes following the clashes.
Somaliland has claimed independence from Somalia since 1991 but has never been recognised internationally.