Mathieu GottelandInstead, Irro's conciliatory policy style has allowed him to pacify Sanaag (claimed by SSC) and to explore realistic paths towards peace with the #Dhulbahante and re-engage #Puntland.
Muse Bihi's disastrous handling of the Las Anod crisis, rife with atrocities and likened to a #genocide by #Dhulbahante elders, has led to the routing of #Somaliland 's army and union of SSC-Khatumo with federal #Somalia under the name of "Northeast state".
This has in turn allowed for the unionist #Dhulbahante militia to rejoin #Somalia as the “Northeast” state (July). Besides a baroque offer for control of Berbera port and airport (in #Somaliland), Bosaso port (in #Puntland) and Baledogle airbase (in #Hirshabelle), formulated by president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in March, the integration of #SSC-Khatumo as “Northeast” allowed him to invite #US companies to drill #oil in the area.
Last year, #Djibouti had supported #Somaliland against the #Puntland-supported #Dhulbahante clan. The latter, which fought to escape state repression and a possible #genocide, has since routed Somaliland’s army, founded the region of #SSCKhatumo and officially rejoined #Somalia.
#Ethiopia
#Ethiopia
The #Ethiopia-#Somaliland MoU has in part been a desperate gambit by Somaliland president Muse Bihi Abdi to regain legitimacy and hang on to power, and in part an attempt at rebuilding Somaliland’s army to retake #LasAnod. Hargeisa regularly boasted that they would retake the unionist region and the time when they will try again seems near. Troops have been deployed around Oog in Western #Sool, roughly at the boundary between #Ishaaq and #Dhulbahante territory
#Dhulbahante clan elders, supported by their #Majerteen and #Warsangeli allies, decided that #Sool and #Sanaag should form a new administration (#SSCKhatumo) and reunite with #Somalia. Interestingly, they labeled #Somaliland actions a “#genocide”. #Ishaaq-dominated Somaliland also bases the legitimacy of its claim for independence on a genocide carried out by federal forces against the Ishaaq clan in the 1980's.
They follow in that the example of the #Dhulbahante, which managed to defeat #Somaliland’s army with the support of #Puntland last August, and were formally reunited as the 6th region of federal #Somalia in October (#SSC-#Khatumo).