One of the key events we organized at the end of 2023 focused on raising awareness about the Las Anod conflict, which broke out in 2022. Las Anod (Somali: Laascaanood) is the capital of the Sool region in northern Somalia.
On December 26, 2022, widespread protests erupted in the city following the murder of Hadrawi Sanguub, a respected local politician. The killing was just one in a long series of unsolved murders of politicians, activists, businessmen, and other influential figures in the city since the self-declared state of Somaliland took over its administration. The conflict reached a critical turning point in February 2023 when Somaliland security forces used deadly violence against peaceful demonstrations. Within the first ten days of the conflict, the death toll in Las Anod rose to over 170, with around 500 injured (Amnesty) – LÄNK HIT
IDP returnees: By the 09
September, an estimated 50 – 60 per
cent of Laas Caanood displaced
population had returned to the city since
27 August. However, these IDP
returnees are facing enormous
challenges including lack of access to
basic social services as most of key
social infrastructures and public service facilities have been destroyed during the fighting. An estimated 200,000 people were displaced from Laas Caanood and surrounding villages.
Urskillningslösa attacker mot sjukhus och andra viktiga infrastruktur
The conflict in Las Anod was not only military and political in nature—it was also a deliberate attack on the local economy and the civilian population’s ability to sustain itself. The assaults by Somaliland destroyed the city’s only water system, which had been funded by the Somali diaspora. The situation worsened further with the shelling of the general hospital, where both oxygen facilities and a specialized maternal and child health center run by Doctors Without Borders were destroyed. These attacks have not only cut off essential water access for civilians but have also severely restricted emergency medical care, particularly for women and children. The destruction of MSF’s (Doctors Without Borders) operations constituted a direct assault on humanitarian efforts in an already vulnerable region, risking increased child mortality and complications during childbirth.
The people of Las Anod and the surrounding regions advocate to remain part of a united Somalia under Somalia’s federal government. This position stems from their desire for a more diverse and inclusive political environment where their interests are protected rather than marginalized. Somalia’s federal system of power-sharing among different clans and granting autonomy to regions while maintaining national unity stands in contrast to Somaliland’s administration where the Isaaq clan dominates politics. The federal model provides greater opportunities for the Dhulbahante and other clans inhabiting the Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions to gain representation and protection against clan-based exclusion.
A turning point for the city and the entire Sool region
In mid-January 2023, amidst the escalating conflict with Somaliland, a civil administration was established in Las Anod under the leadership of Guddiga 33ka – a council consisting of 33 traditionally elected elders and leaders from the Dhulbahante clan and other clans in the region. Their role was to organize a united local front and facilitate humanitarian aid until the current SSC-Khatumo administration could take over.
SSC-Khatumo is a political and administrative entity in northern Somalia that represents the interests of the local population in these regions. It was officially formed in 2012 to advocate for self-determination, autonomy, and rights for the people of the SSC regions (an acronym for Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn), particularly in response to the contested claims by the self-declared state of Somaliland over the territory.
The name “Khatumo” means “positive outcome” or “solution” in Somali, reflecting the group’s goal of achieving self-determination and stability for the region.
