US demands ceasefire as fighting between gov’t forces in Bosaso enters second day

GOOBJOOG NEWS|BOSASO: Fighting between forces allied to President Abdullahi Deni and a faction of the Puntland Security Forces (PSF) entered the second day today as the US, which has been a key financier of PSF calls for an immediate ‘end to the fighting.

Sources in the coastal city of Bosaso where the PSF is headquartered said the two sides renewed fire exchange by 5 am local time as the now besieged city woke up to another day of deadly fighting.

At least ten people among them soldiers and civilians were killed Tuesday when the fighting started. A further 40 people were reportedly injured.

Businesses, the airport and the Bosaso port remained shut as the two sides went on a day-long fight Tuesday. Streets now remain empty as people kept off at their homes. Civilians have been trapped in Suweyto neighbourhood, which is one of the epicentres of the fighting, a source told Goobjoog News.

Meanwhile, the US has called for an end to the fighting as clan elders and the business community are reportedly engaging to find an end to the fighting.

“We urge an immediate end to hostilities in Bossaso and a return to dialogue to find a negotiated, peaceful resolution. Continued fighting will only inflict further harm on Bossaso and its people,” the US embassy in Mogadishu said in a tweet.

Sources in Garowe said President Deni, Vice President Ahmed Elmi Osman and Speaker of Parliament Abdirashid Yusuf Jibril held a closed-door meeting Tuesday night to deliberate on the ongoing fighting.

Some clan elders from the region also reportedly attended the meeting.

PSF was formed in 2001 going then by the name Puntland Intelligence Service (PIS) and the forces were trained by the US Marines and the CIA. The force has also been receiving funding from the US until recently.