The United Nations humanitarian agency said Tuesday that it had released $2 million for life-saving measures in Las Anod, northern Somalia, as hostilities between security troops and clan elders continued.
As the conflict in the disputed Las Anod region enters its sixth week, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the security situation remained precarious.
According to the UN, the conflict that began on February 6 has killed at least 80 people and injured 451 others, including medical workers, with hospitals damaged, threatening access to crucial care for the injured.
“Because of the continuous instability, movement along the road between Las Anod and Garowe is restricted. Transportation interruptions have also been observed along the main road connecting Bossaso to Las Anod and Burco to Las Anod, limiting supply availability and forcing commodities prices up “OCHA stated in its Flash Update issued in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital.
According to the UN, about 214,000 people in the Sool Area, or 43 percent of the population, are experiencing a crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity owing to extreme drought.
The humanitarian community is extremely concerned about the impact of the war on the region’s overall humanitarian situation.
According to local media, the mayor of the contested town, Abdirahim Ali Ismail, around 210 people were killed and 680 others were injured in the skirmishes.
Las Anod is located in the Sool and Sanaag regions of Somaliland and Puntland States.
The present violence erupted after local clan elders released a declaration declaring that the Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn regions are no longer part of Somaliland and are now administered by the government of Somalia.
Both sides are reportedly firing heavy artillery and machine gunfire, causing significant damage, especially to nearby health facilities.
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