HARGEISA (KAAB TV) – President Muse Bihi Abdi of Somaliland reiterated his commitment to defending the borders of Somaliland, including the region of Laascaanood, while urging Dhulbahante elders to engage in negotiations.
President Abdi made these remarks during an event held at the Hargeisa State House on the eve of the anniversary of Somaliland’s proclamation of independence in 1960. Back then, Somaliland was a northern region within Somalia that gained independence from the British protectorate.
The president revealed that clashes in Laascaanood had resumed in the past two days, with his forces coming under attack.
President Abdi placed the blame for the ongoing conflict in Laascaanood on Puntland and al-Shabaab, asserting that specially trained forces supported by the United Arab Emirates and al-Shabaab had joined forces to destabilize the region.
He expressed his willingness to negotiate if the conflict involved only the people of Laascaanood, but claimed that they were being manipulated by external actors.
“We have the right, and we have given orders to our army to continue defending and protecting our borders,” President Abdi stated.
Reflecting on Somaliland’s independence and the union between British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland, President Abdi criticized the rushed union initiated by Somaliland politicians in 1960, stating that they were outnumbered and deceived by politicians in Mogadishu driven by greed.
He called upon the people of Somaliland to work diligently towards gaining international recognition as an independent nation.
On Sunday night, separate commemorations took place in Mogadishu and Laascaanood to mark the union of Somalia, with the flag of Somalia being hoisted in various buildings.
Somaliland, an autonomous region in northern Somalia, declared independence from Somalia in 1991. While it has established a self-governing system and conducted democratic elections, no foreign power currently recognizes Somaliland’s sovereignty.