Wednesday 9,July 2025 {HMC} Former Speaker of the Puntland Parliament, Abdirashid Yusuf Jibriil, arrived in Las Anod on Tuesday alongside a delegation representing the Sanaag and Haylaan regions, ahead of the SSC-Khaatumo Regional State Completion Conference scheduled to begin on July 10.
Prior to his arrival, Abdirashid spoke at a gathering in Damale Xaggare, where he declared that the era of administration by either Puntland (Garowe) or Somaliland (Hargeisa) over areas between Buuhoodle and Lasqoray had come to an end. He announced that his Warsangali community has chosen to align with SSC-Khaatumo.
The former speaker accused Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni of preparing 5,000 troops to pressure the people of Sanaag and exploit the region’s natural resources. He asserted that the communities of Sanaag and Haylaan are ready to deliberate and move toward independence from both Somaliland and Puntland.
The SSC-Khaatumo administration’s conference organizing committee welcomed the resolutions from the Damale Xaggare meeting and formally recognized the Sanaag and Haylaan delegates as legitimate participants in the upcoming conference.
However, the development has drawn criticism from elders and intellectuals in the Sanaag region, many of whom publicly rejected Abdirashid’s actions. They accused the SSC-Khaatumo administration of attempting to “invade” territories they consider part of Puntland and blamed the Federal Government for fostering division between the Dhulbahante and Warsangali clans.
Puntland President Said Deni responded firmly, urging SSC-Khaatumo leaders to stay within their own territories and warning against interference in Sanaag. “Sanaag will never be part of the SSC,” Deni said in a statement.
The dispute underscores growing tensions between Puntland, the Federal Government, and the newly recognized SSC-Khaatumo administration over contested territories in northern Somalia. The situation remains volatile as stakeholders prepare for the highly anticipated conference in Las Anod.
Source Hiiraan online
