Clashes Erupt Between Forces Loyal to Somaliland and Local Residents Near Waqdariya

Waqdariya (SahanPost) :- Armed forces reportedly under the command of the Somaliland administration launched an attack on Saturday morning in an area between Waqdariya and Shidan, prompting local residents to defend themselves against the assault.

Sources contacted by SahanPost confirmed that casualties were minimal, with two people injured, one from the attacking forces, who was left behind at the scene, and another from the Shidan side.

Residents from Shidan said the troops involved are loyal to Somaliland. Reports from the area also suggest that Somaliland’s coastal forces stationed at Meydh base may have participated in the clash.

This latest confrontation took place in the same location where a similar conflict occurred in 2019, which also resulted in casualties. That earlier fighting was reportedly sparked by militias attempting to expand their control into the Waqdariya and Shidan areas.

Although the Somaliland administration has recently called for peace in the Sanaag region, and local elders from “Greater Sanaag” have gathered in Ceerigaabo to discuss reconciliation, residents accuse Somaliland-paid troops of simultaneously waging war against local communities.

“This is nothing but an aggression and expansionism, a war we cannot accept,” one local resident from Shidan told SahanPost.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that community elders and peace envoys have departed from Ceerigaabo and Badhan in an effort to mediate and calm the situation.

By late afternoon, tensions had subsided somewhat, though the situation on the ground remains uncertain.

Sahan News Desk
info@sahanpost.com