Somaliland Agrees To An Unconditional Ceasefire

The administration of Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland said late on Friday it had agreed to an unconditional ceasefire, following five days of clashes in the east of the territory that health workers say have killed dozens of people.

“Heavy fighting broke out between Somaliland forces and militiamen in and around the town of Las Anod, the administrative centre of the Sool region,” on Monday after local leaders said they wanted to rejoin federal Somalia.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not gained widespread international recognition for its status, and has faced opposition from some clan elders in disputed areas along its border with Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland state.

“Somaliland gov has agreed to an unconditional cease-fire tonight despite past attacks by militias,” Somaliland’s defence minister, Abdiqani Mahamoud Ateye wrote on Twitter.

BBC /Shakirat Sadiq