Assault on Las Anod: A City Under Siege
Since Monday, when a public consultation conference chaired by local Garaads (traditional chiefs) was preparing to announce their agreement on self-rule for the Sool, Sanaag and Cayn (SSC) region self-rule, the city of Las Anod has been subjected to a relentless rain of bullets and shells.
The shelling and surrounding fighting continue unabated, forcing 80% of the town’s residents to flee. So far, approximately 400 people have been killed and more than a thousand injured. Little information is shared about casualties among Somaliland forces, but reports indicate a significant number of dead, wounded, and defections among their ranks.
Militiamen from the separatist region of Somaliland had tried to storm the besieged town but were repelled by local defense forces. These fighters even managed to partially damage the Gooja-Adde command post, where the secessionist forces are entrenched.
However, Somaliland forces—reinforced, according to eyewitnesses, by troops from other regions and equipped with sniper rifles and artillery shells reportedly provided by the Djiboutian dictatorship—continued their indiscriminate shelling of the city.
Indiscriminate Bombardment and Humanitarian Catastrophe
Waves of bombardments have targeted not only residential areas but also civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, mosques, water systems, and power supplies—paralyzing movement and relief efforts in total disregard for international conventions.
The situation remains dire, and the incessant attacks have devastated local communities. The intensity of the shelling has driven over 200,000 residents to seek refuge far from the besieged city.
International appeals to “both sides” are growing. The international community has strongly condemned the bloodshed and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities to allow dialogue a chance.
A Broken Ceasefire and the Unanswered Question
On Friday, optimists welcomed a unilateral ceasefire declaration by previously hawkish secessionist ministers. The regime’s conciliatory language—a stark contrast to the terrorist accusations previously leveled against Las Anod’s residents—baffled observers familiar with the secessionist leaders’ history.
By Saturday morning, however, the harsh reality set in. Under the orders of Somaliland’s President Musa Bihi and Interior Minister Mohamed Kahin—figures with bloody reputations—shelling and sniper fire targeting the Garaads resumed.
The situation in Las Anod is now at its worst: casualties are mounting, and much of the town lies in ruins, rendering any meaningful dialogue or future peaceful coexistence a daunting challenge.
Some commentators question what Somaliland hopes to achieve by destroying Las Anod and killing its people, especially when they reject secession from the rest of Somalia. Was this onslaught ordered out of anger, revenge, or a desperate attempt to suppress the SSC region’s quest for freedom? And why would other regions, such as Awdal—which also opposes separatism—choose to remain under a brutal, clan-dominated regime?