Somalia-Khatumo State focuses on autonomy, with risk of tribal clashes and separatist moods in the rest of the country

The decision of SSC-Khatumo state based in Las Anod city, Somalia not to be the part of the 2024 Puntland elections, insisting on being a separate state may set a precedent for other Somalian regions with similar aspirations.

Following a consultation meeting, the elders issued a decision, declaring that SSC-Khatumo will not elect the 17 members of the Puntland Parliament, from now on.

The shocking statement was read out by the SSC’s elders spokesperson, Abdisalan Hassan Mohamed, who confirmed that the 17 MPs currently in the Puntland Parliament will quit.

The SSC-Khatumo’s Elders Council has also decided that no one from their SSC can run for the next election in 2024 for the vice president of Puntland. Ahmed Karash will be the last. This move signifies a considerable shift in the political landscape of the region, raising questions about the future of SSC-Khatumo’s political engagement and representation. The SSC-Khatumo elders have previously been instrumental in advocating for indirect elections in Puntland and played a key role in derailing direct elections in the region. 

According The elders called on the two members of the Puntland election dispute resolution committee from the SSC to resign swiftly. This demand underscores the seriousness of their decision and their commitment to disengaging from Puntland’s electoral processes.

In February 2023, the traditional elders of Sool, Sanaag, and Ayn, collectively known as SSC-Khatumo, announced their intention to establish an independent federal state in Somalia called SSC-Khatumo.

The SSC-Khatumo administration seeks to be independent and become a Federal State that is recognized by the country’s government in Mogadishu, which is made of now 5 states.

The Dhulbahante clan lives in the regions of Sool, Sanaag as well as the district of Buuhoodle in the Togdheer region, all of which are disputed between Somaliland – which seceded from Somalia in 1991, – and Puntland. Las Anod, the capital of the Sool region, is also claimed by the clan as its capital. In 1991, Somaliland proclaimed independence from Somalia after years of rebellion led by the Isaaq clan, which continues to dominate the country’s politics.

The colonial-era borders, which placed Sool on Somaliland’s side of the line, remain central to Somalilander identity. But the majority of Sool’s population is Dhulbahante, a people who belong to a non-Isaaq clan family, the Darod. They strongly resisted British colonialism and generally fared better than the Isaaq under Somali dictator Siad Barre, who ruled from 1969 to 1991, leading most of them to favour the idea of being governed by Somalia. They largely reject inclusion in Somaliland’s state-building project, which they view as serving the Isaaq clan’s interests. 

 The Dhulbahante have long searched for an alternative administrative arrangement, such as joining Somalia’s federal member state of Puntland, where their family ties through the Darod/Harti clan are deeper, or creating their own separate member state within Somalia. Not all Dhulbahante have the same vision for the future, but many want to break with Somaliland.

Hargeisa has taken steps to placate the Dhulbahante, including offering posts in regional and national government to community elites and promising to devote 2% of Somaliland’s budget to developing Sool and the neighbouring Sanaag region. But it has also missed opportunities to improve relations, feeding Dhulbahante perceptions of exclusion. President Muse Bihi refused, for example, to honour a power-sharing agreement that his predecessor Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud “Silanyo” made with prominent Dhulbahante politician Ali Khalif Galaydh in 2017.

Somaliland claims the borders of the old British Somaliland protectorate which merged with what was known as Italian Somaliland in the 1960s to form Somalia. In 1991, after clan militias overthrew Siad Barre, Somalia’s military ruler at the time, the country descended into prolonged conflict, and Somaliland proclaimed its secession.

Before 2007, when Somaliland seized Las Anod, it was administered by Puntland.

On 19 October 2023, the Federal Government of Somalia officially recognized the recently established administration of SSC-Khaatumo. A council of garads (elders) made a formal declaration of independence on Feb. 6, 2023: The Dhulbahante regions of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn would not be part of Somaliland but would form a new state, SSC-Khaatumo, seeking recognition from the federal government of Somalia. The last upheaval in Las Anod began in December, 2022 when a local opposition politician, Abdifatah Abdullahi Abdi, was assassinated by unknown attackers, sparking anti-government protests across the city.

Despite the SCC elderly leaders declared autonomy from the Somaliland government earlier this year after eight months of conflict between the Somaliland army and SCC-Khatumo forces erupted in Las Anod town, the SCC-Khatumo administration advocates to become a federal member state. The Dhulbahante received money, equipment and fighters also from allied Darod/Harti clans in Somalia.

However in October2023  the leader of the breakaway region of Somaliland issued a stern statement concerning SSC Khatumo’s bid to be recognized as an independent state under the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS). President Muse Bihi firmly stated that he will not allow the formation of a new administration in the Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn regions ,collectively known as SSC, vowing that Somaliland will vigorously defend its territories. Two months before this statement SSC Khatumo forces ousted Somaliland troops after eight months of conflict. Despite this, Somaliland still asserts that the SSC region belongs to them and opposes any move to separate it. Muse Bihi further accused the neighbouring state of Puntland of trying to expand its territories and warned them of dire consequences.

The SSC-Khatumo areas are represented by 17 parliamentarians, a vice president, ministers, deputy ministers, and general directors in the Puntland State.

The statement from the SSC-Khatumo leader comes as Puntland prepares for the next presidential election in early January next year.

The people of Khatumo are prepared to sever ties with Puntland and establish their own independent state. Towns in the Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn (SSC) region, including Las-Anod, would abstain from the forthcoming elections, signaling their intent to distance themselves from Puntland.

This the result of of years of strained relations and escalating tensions between Khatumo and Puntland. Secessionistsaccused Puntland of neglecting its responsibilities and violating the federal constitution, sparking this move towards independence.

The international community has expressed deep concern over the potential for violence and further fragmentation in Somalia. Both the African Union and the United Nations have voiced their support for a peaceful resolution and have urged all parties to engage in constructive dialogue.

As the situation remains fraught with tension, Khatumo and Puntland continue to hold their ground. Authorities from Somaliland and Puntland have yet to officially respond to of Khatumo State president’s remarks, and the longstanding dispute over the ownership of the SSC regions remains unresolved. The implications of this dispute for the stability of the region are uncertain. 

Mogadishu has far eschewed direct involvement in the crisis, likely because it wants to avoid getting sucked into an intractable conflict at a time when it has scaled up its military operations against Al-Shabaab. 

However, if Somalian Federal government will force this part of the state to participate in elections next January, clashes may spread to other Dhulbahante areas in Sool. If the conflict drags on, morphing from a Somaliland-Dhulbahante dispute into a confrontation between the Darod and Isaaq clan families (or even the wider Dir clan family of which the Isaaq form a part), unrest could ripple into other parts of Somaliland or into Ethiopia.

he SSC-Khatumo administration’s stance presents both challenges and opportunities for its political future. While the decision to operate independently could strengthen their regional autonomy, it also necessitates the development of robust governance structures within SSC-Khatumo to ensure effective administration and representation for its people. The decision of the SSC-Khatumo Cultural Elders to withdraw from the Puntland elections signifies a critical juncture in the region’s political history.