The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday said sporadic clashes between security forces and local militias in northern Somalia’s Las Anod have resulted in the killing of 80 people and displacement of 30,000 more, reported CGTN Africa.
In its latest update, the WHO estimated that between 154,000 and 203,000 people have been displaced since December 2022 in the ongoing fighting.
The UN health body warned that the situation is deteriorating at a time when people in the Sool region are experiencing unprecedented water shortages due to the severe drought and facing an elevated risk of disease outbreaks.
The WHO has reportedly boosted medical response efforts in the area. It has donated biomedical equipment to establish a triage post in Kalabeydh and trained health personnel on triage management.
The UN health body also said that 24 community-based surveillance teams have been deployed in the affected regions to carry out case detection, testing, case management, and referral of severe cases to the health facilities in the Hudun and Buhoodle districts.
Notably, Las Anod is in the Sool and Sanaag regions, which are claimed by both Somaliland and Puntland States.
The current fighting in Las Anod broke out after local clan leaders issued a declaration stating that they are no longer part of Somaliland and that the Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn regions are now governed by Somalia’s government.
Somaliland, which is located in northwestern Somalia, declared its independence in 1991 but has not been formally recognized by any country.
Las Anod is largely inhabited by the Dhulbahante clan and has been under Somaliland’s control since 2007.
Both sides are reportedly using heavy artillery and machine guns, causing serious damage, including to health facilities in the area. This escalation has further intensified the suffering of the people in the region, emphasizing the need for a thorough investigation into the human rights and humanitarian law violations that have occurred.
