Las Anod conflict (2023)

The Las Anod conflict (Somali: Dagaalkii Laascaanood) was an armed conflict between the Somaliland National Army and the Khaatumo SSC (Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions) forces of the Dhulbahante clan around Las Anod, the capital of the Sool region.

Local tensions escalated in late 2022 following the assassination of civil leaders in Las Anod, culminating in fighting that erupted on 6 February 2023 after Somaliland security forces violently cracked down on civilian protests. Shortly after, the supreme Garad of the Dhulbahante clan, Jama Garad Ali, announced the intent of the SSC-Khaatumo administration to reunify with the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS). Las Anod fell into a state of siege, with heavy fighting between SSC and Somaliland forces. Under President Muse Bihi, the Somaliland Army initiated a prolonged military campaign, including six months of artillery bombardments aimed at subduing the city. Amnesty International reported indiscriminate shelling by Somaliland forces, which damaged schools, mosques, and hospitals, while also killing and injuring civilians.

The conflict has resulted in the deaths of several hundred civilians and displaced 153,000–203,000 as refugees. It is not known how many have been killed in total. Many residents fled to neighboring SSC-Khatumo territories or to Puntland. The conflict has weakened Somaliland's bid for international recognition, as the war and mass displacement have tarnished its image as a stable political entity.

In August 2023, the Somaliland army was compelled to retreat from the environs of Las Anod after being routed during the battle of Goojacade, following which SSC forces declared a cessation of hostilities. SSC-Khatumo was recognized two months later as an interim administration by the Federal Government of Somalia. Somaliland has vowed to reclaim the region, and a military stalemate presently holds between SSC troops and the Somaliland army on a front line 100km from Las Anod. The conflict has also sparked fears of similar uprisings in other Somaliland regions with strong unionist leanings, such as Awdal in the west.

In July 2025 longstanding tensions between SSC-Khatumo (which is backed by the Somali federal government) and Puntland over claims to eastern Sanaag region culminated in deadly clashes in the town of Dhahar, pitting Puntland forces against local clan militias loyal to SSC-Khatumo.