Puntland–Somaliland dispute

The Puntland-Somaliland border dispute.

The Puntland–Somaliland dispute is a territorial dispute over the northern Somali regions of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn (SSC) between the autonomous Puntland and Somaliland macro regions of Somalia.^[1]

The dispute

Political situation in Somalia (as of 24 March 2011).

Sanaag

Sanaag is a disputed region, claimed as sovereign territory by Puntland and Somaliland, two autonomous macro regions of Somalia.

The dispute between Somaliland and Puntland stems from 1998, when Puntland formed and declared the region as part of its territory.^[2] Prior to that, it had been claimed by Somaliland since the 1991 events of the Somali Civil War.

Puntland claims Sool, Sanaag and Cayn (SSC) based on kinship ties with the regions' dominant Darod clans. Somaliland claims the territory as part of the original bounds of the former British Somaliland protectorate, which the enclave's separatist government regards itself as the successor to.^[3] Fighting between the two forces led to casualties and captured prisoners, who were later exchanged.

The dispute with the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) stems from the passage of the new Charter in November 2004. However, this was not a pragmatic issue until the military successes of the government in the 2006–2007 war in Somalia. Assertions of sovereignty in January 2007 by the TFG leadership sparked riots in Somaliland.^[4][5]

On July 1, 2007, the state of Maakhir was declared in Sanaag. The polity's leaders claimed independence from both Puntland and Somaliland,^[6] but Maakhir was later officially incorporated into Puntland in January 2009.^[7]

Sool

Sool is a disputed region, claimed as sovereign territory by both the Somaliland and Puntland administrations. During 2006, the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) also incorporated sharia courts in Sool region into their loose alliance, though their military forces never occupied the region.

Under the government of Siad Barre, Sool was not a separate region, but part of the larger Nugaal province, with the capital city of Garowe. It was separated from Nugaal in the 1980s.^[8]

From 2003 to October 2007, Sool was controlled by Puntland.^[9]

Cayn

The area, centered on the town of Buuhoodle, is also disputed by Somaliland and Puntland. According to Somaliland, the so-called Cayn (or Ayn) area claimed by Puntland remains part of the Togdheer region. Somaliland disputes the territorial claims of Puntland, which wrote the claim on the portion of Togdheere into their 1998 charter.^[2]

Troops from Somaliland and Ethiopia entered this region on 15 May 2010, in order to facilitate the upcoming Somaliland elections. Troops searched several towns and villages, including Buuhoodle, for local clan militia supporting Puntland.^[10] These forces clashed with local militia, leaving at least 13 dead on 33 wounded.^[11]

Armed clashes

Capture of Las Anod

In October 2007, the conflict mushroomed into a regional conflict over control of the city of Las Anod, as Somaliland regular army forces mobilized from their base in the town of Adhicadeeye, west of the city, and entered the conflict. Puntland was slow to mobilize a counter-attack, as Puntland's weak economy and overstretched military obligations in Mogadishu prevented a rapid response. After getting the city under its control, Somaliland moved Sool's regional administration into Las Anod.^[12] Between 10 and 20 people were reported to be dead.^[13]

2010 clashes

The 2010 Sool clashes saw Ethiopian and Somaliland forces engage an autonomist militia in northern Somalia's Sool region in a bid to pacify the region ahead of the Somaliland presidential election, 2010. Ethiopian troops used to enter southern Somalia to fight Islamist militants, but it is believed to be the first time that they have sought to do this in the semi-autonomous region of Somaliland, which is generally seen as more stable than Somalia.

See also

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• 2010 Ayn clashes
• Maakhir
• Northern Somali Unionist Movement
• Northland State
• Khatumo State

Notes

References

• H. J. de Blij, Peter O. Muller, Antoinette WinklerPrins, Jan Nijman, The World Today: Concepts and Regions in Geography, (John Wiley & Sons: 2010)
• Puntland Constitution

Further reading

• Hoehne, Markus V. 2007: Puntland and Somaliland clashing in northern Somalia: Who cuts the Gordian knot?, published online on 7 November 2007. http://hornofafrica.ssrc.org/Hoehne/
• Hoehne, Markus V. 2009: Mimesis and mimicry in dynamics of state and identity formation in northern Somalia, Africa 79/2, pp. 252–281.