Leaders roundly condemn Las-Anod evictions

GOOBJOOG NEWS|LAAS-ANOD: Calls condemning Saturday’s forceful eviction and displacement of Somalis who mainly hail from Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions by Somaliland government have poured in as leaders condemn President Muse Bihi for the evictions.

The governor of Puntland’s Mudug region, Abdiladhif Muse Nur (Sanyare) called on President Bihi and the people of Las Anod to backtrack on their decision to deport hundreds of people from southwestern Somalia, accusing them of being Al-Shabaab. He said that innocent people were being accused of carrying out killings in Las Anod while the blame should squarely land on Al-Shabaab operatives. Nevertheless, he urged the people of Mudug region to welcome the deportees from Las Anod.

Federal Information Minister Osman Dubbe strongly condemned the deportation of the residents noting, “the local residents of Laascaanood are known to have a superior culture of hospitality and patriotism and I hope they should maintain” said the Minister.

His justice colleague Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur (Jama)  also weighed in on the matter.

“I am deeply saddened by what is happening in Las Anod. It is unfortunate that certain people were being targeted for doing business peacefully in the city, and some were evicted from their property and homes. I call on the Somaliland administration to refrain from such acts that do not reflect Islamic, state or Somali culture,” said Jama.

Former senator from South West Ilyas Ali Hassan also slammed Somaliland’s move to forcibly deport hundreds of Somalis and demanded an apology from Somaliland for labeling citizens in their country as foreigners.

Trucks carrying some of the residents whose communities largely hail from South West state were seen leaving Laas-Anod on Saturday.

Somaliland is an autonomous region in northern Somalia, which broke away and declared independence from Somalia in 1991. Authorities there accused the evicted residents of being behind the killings in Las Anod, which targeted officials and other officials of the Somaliland administration.