Muse Bihi Abdi, the president of Somaliland, has charged anonymous opponents of the impending election with planning acts of insurrection in the Sool and sanaag region’s including Erigabo city.
President Bihi said in a statement that recent clan disputes are a part of a calculated attempt to sabotage Somaliland’s elections and jeopardize the unity and governance of the area.
“The goal of the fight in Erigabo today is to sabotage our elections. Somaliland needs to be developed by every elected individual, but this development is being hampered. We are all concentrating on the election today,” stated President Bihi.
Since Wednesday’s brutal fighting between two militia groups near the town of Goof, around 40 kilometers from Erigabo, at least nine people have died in the conflict.
Following Salman Adan Abdi’s shooting death earlier this week, a well-known local figure in Erigabo, violence broke out. Political tensions in the area have escalated after Salman’s death, especially since he backed the Khatumo government.
The Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs and Reconciliation has made a forceful plea for the conflict in the Erigabo district to end immediately. Noting that the violence has forced hundreds of families to flee, the Ministry underlined the need of making amends and urged local elders, religious leaders, and regional authorities to act quickly to put an end to the carnage