by JAMAL ABDULAHI
A conflict between Somali unionists and secessionists was spawned by a U.S. attempt to acquire a military base. War and a humanitarian crisis are the end result.
In the February 8th, 2023, edition of Black Agenda Report, I wrote about a brutal war in Northern Somalia fueled by America’s quest for an imperial base. The struggle is between secessionists who want to split Somalia based on 19th-century colonial borders and unionists who are yearning for a unified Somali Republic.
The secessionists are in favor of the American military base. The unionists vehemently oppose it. The casualties on both sides are staggering.
The epicenter of the violence is the city of Las Anod, in the state of Sool. The violence is raging for the 21st straight day as of this analysis.
Over 100 people are confirmed dead among the unionists. According to the unionist civilian defense unit’s spokesperson, many are noncombatant civilians. Most succumb to indiscriminate artillery shelling by the secessionist forces. The wounded cannot be accurately counted as the relentless shelling continues.
Casualties are hard to verify among secessionists. The Hargeisa regime makes an extraordinary effort to hide figures of dead and wounded. Hargeisa is the de facto capital of the secessionists.
One eyewitness who traveled on the highway connecting Oog, where secessionists set up a command center and the city of Burcio, described a bloodbath. The unimpeded bloodstain on the road between the two cities indicates the high number of wounded and corpses being transported according to one eyewitness.
Tens of thousands of Las Anod residents fled. Some estimates put the newly displaced population at 100,000 to 200,000.
The pregnant wife of one of my college classmates is among the displaced. She went into early labor and gave birth on the outskirts of Las Anod.
He is an able man and can provide for his family but there are tens of thousands of displaced people who do not have access to necessities. Many were day laborers in Las Anod with nothing more than clothes in their bags. It is a huge humanitarian catastrophe.
Secessionists bear the sole responsibility for the conflict and displacement. The destruction of telecommunication towers, hospitals, drinking water facilities, and other public infrastructure made life unbearable for the remaining residents of Las Anod.
Black Agenda Report for more