Garowe (Commentary) — On Friday, militias allied with the Somaliland administration attacked Buqdharkayn village in Sool. In a statement, the Somaliland administration accused the Sool, Sanaag and Ceyn-Khaatumo interim administration of launching an attack on nomadic communities. The SSCK administration stated that Somaliland forces had attacked Buqdharkayn, a village under the jurisdiction of SSCK.
The statement from the Somaliland administration reflects a remarkable change in tone. It did not use the language of the previous administration of Muse Bihi Abdi, who described SSCK as Al-Shabaab terrorists. The Somaliland administration claims it is committed to solving the conflict peacefully. This peace overture resulted from conciliatory remarks made by Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni nearly a month ago.
The battle at Buqdharkayn village on Friday took place in a treacherous terrain, far from Salinta and Qorilugud. The Somaliland militia from Burao resisted the Somaliland administration’s plan to demobilise militias formed by former Somaliland President Bihi, who had mobilised clan militias after the defeat of Somaliland forces at Goja’adde barracks on the outskirts of Laascaanood on 25 August 2023.
The statement from the Somaliland administration labelled the SSCK administration as a threat to the region. Rhetoric aside, the new Somaliland administration has jettisoned the pretence of sovereignty and the claim that territories under the SSCK administration are part of what ardent secessionists misleadingly call “the Republic of Somaliland.”
The SSCK administration was reportedly planning to send peace envoys to Gaashaamo when Somaliland-allied militias attacked Buqdharkayn. Abdulqadir Aw Ali (Firdhiye), the leader of the SSCK interim administration, does not seem to understand that any talks with the secessionist administration in Hargeisa have three layers.
The first layer pertains to the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Somalia. In 2023, Somaliland forces shelled Laascaanood under the pretext that the district “is not part of the Federal Republic of Somalia”.
The second layer revolves around the role of Puntland State of Somalia. SSCK territories are under the federal jurisdiction of Puntland State. Puntland recognises the legitimacy of the SSCK interim administration, but the Laascaanood-based administration is not a federal member state. On several occasions, President Deni has stated that “Puntland will defend SSCK.” He is honouring constitutional commitments enshrined in the 1998 Puntland Charter.
The third layer emphasises inter-clan relations. The SSCK leader almost fell for the ruse of Hargeisa, which was plotting to brand any talks as merely a dialogue between neighbouring Isaaq and Dhulbahante clans under the auspices of the Somaliland administration. The Somaliland militias that attacked Buqdharkayn undermined the deceptive commitment to peace talks that the Somaliland administration reiterates.
In 2023, the Somaliland administration claimed it had signed agreements with SSC (under Saleebaan Haglatosiye) in 2013, and with the late Dr Ali Khalif Galaydh of Khatumo in 2017. The Buuhoodle peace envoys claimed that the SSCK administration was aware of their planned visit to Gaashaamo. Firdhiye’s administration has not refuted the peace envoys’ claim. It is a political misjudgment that has enabled the secessionist administration to pay lip service to peace while castigating Firdhiye, who has failed to consult Puntland State on any peace talks with Somali secessionists in Hargeisa.
© Puntland Post, 2025
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