SOMALILANDVOTES: Puntland Parliament protests Sool and Sanaag poll as exercise kicks off

Puntland Parliament has warned Somaliland against conducting elections in the contested regions of Sool and Sanaag even as the exercise kicked off Monday morning in the two regions.

Puntland State Parliament Internal Affairs Committee deputy chairman Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim (MP) said the state will not allow voting to take place in the two regions.

“We shall not permit for elections to take place in Sool and Sanaag. Our people are not ready for divisions of the Somali people,” Ibrahim told Goobjoog News. They [Somaliland] want to transport people by bus into those regions to make it appear as if election is taking place but we can’t accept that. The security departments have been given their orders.”

Puntland Parliament voted last week to stop elections in Sool, Sanaag and Ayn (Khatumo) regions citing control.

Somaliland army chief General Nuh Ismail Taani Sunday called for peace terming tensions with Puntland as unnecessary.

“We like peace and friendship to live together, because we have a lot of enemies in common and we have a common conflict between us and the other people.”

Goobjoog News correspondent Faarax Dubad in Las Anod in Sool said the polls opened and voting was already underway.