Pressident Mohamud and PM Barre jointly meet SSC-Khatumo traditional elders

Traditional elders from the Sool, Sanaag, and Ayn regions—collectively known as SCC-Khatumo—met with the president and prime minister of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Wednesday afternoon in Mogadishu. This marked the second meeting between the President, Prime Minister, and the SCC-Khatumo delegation since their arrival last week.

President Mohamud extended his gratitude for the decisions reached by the UN Security Council on the circumstances in the contentious town of Las Anod during the meeting.He stressed the urgent need to offer local residents with emergency relief and to establish an environment  that is conducive to the restoration of peace.

The members of the Security Council expressed deep concern about the loss of life and injuries sustained in Laascaanood, in December 2022, when protests were quelled by “Somaliland” security forces, as reported in the Secretary-General’s report of 16 February 2023 (document S/2023/109).  They condemned the violent clashes between “Somaliland” security forces and clan militia.  They condemned all acts of violence against civilians and condemned in the strongest terms the civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure caused by the conflict.

The members of the Security Council called for the immediate withdrawal of “Somaliland” security forces and called on all parties to exercise restraint and to refrain from provocative actions, incitement to violence and inflammatory rhetoric in order to de-escalate the situation on the ground, rebuild trust and to create the conditions for peace.

President Mohamud reaffirmed the government’s dedication to finding a peaceful, non military solution to the regional crisis. The Somalia Federal Government is committed to playing its part in fostering peace and facilitating peace talks to end the conflict. The UN Security Council’s recent statement on the deteriorating conflict in northern Somalia, particularly the troubled Sool region, was also warmly welcomed by the Supreme Council of the SSC-Khaatumo State, also known as the Garaads.  The Council praised the declaration  as a “significant step forward in securing peace in northern Somalia,” acknowledging the declaration’s importance.

The SSC-Khaatumo Supreme Council also calls on the Somaliland authority to strictly adhere  to the resolutions of the UN Security Council, particularly those pertaining to the withdrawal of their forces from SSC territory. They pointed out  the necessity of the Somaliland government   enacting these directives in order to achieve peace. 

The members of the Security Council expressed concern about the impact of the violence on the humanitarian situation in Laascaanood and the Sool region, compounding the displacement and hardship caused by the drought in 2022. They also called on all donors to scale-up humanitarian assistance to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid and essential assistance.  They called on all parties to permit access for explosive ordnance disposal teams to assist with the removal of explosive remnants.

The Council  expressed concern over the resulting large number of civilian casualties, estimated at 299 deaths, over 1,913 injured, and the displacement of more than 150,000 people. Presiden