Sunday, June 29, 2026 – HAN
The Minister of Information for the Sool, Sanaag, Cayn, and Khatumo (SSCK) Administration, Najib Barkhadle Warsame, has outlined the legal framework under which detainees from the Somaliland administration, currently held in Lasanood, will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
This announcement marks a significant step by the new Federal Member State toward ensuring accountability for those involved in the recent conflict.
On August 25, 2023, joint Harti forces captured more than 350 Somaliland troops and seized their heavy and light weaponry after overrunning the Gojacade military barracks on the outskirts of Lasanood. The operation came after months of fighting that began on February 6, 2023, when Somaliland forces shelled Lasanood shortly after the SSCK Administration was established.
Somaliland’s leadership, including current president Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, endorsed the justification first put forward by his predecessor, Muse Bihi Abdi, for authorizing the indiscriminate bombardment of Lasanood. These attacks killed over 900 civilians and destroyed homes, schools, clinics, and businesses.
The 2023 Lasanood conflict, which lasted six months and 19 days, was marked by the deliberate targeting of civilians and documented atrocities committed by Somaliland forces. The political elite of Somaliland largely supported the claims used to deny Lasanood’s place within the Federal Republic of Somalia.
Mr. Warsame explained that the detainees fall into various categories, with some soldiers directly involved in the shelling and the war waged against the people of Lasanood, who have endured decades of hardship since the 1990s. He emphasized that the prosecutions aim to hold accountable those responsible for war crimes, political violence, and forced displacement, while ensuring that all detainees receive legal representation and due process under the oversight of the federal judiciary.
Despite repeated calls by the UN Security Council for the withdrawal of its forces, Somaliland refused to leave the outskirts of Lasanood.
Earlier this year, SSCK leader Abdulqadir Aw Ali expressed openness to mediation efforts led by the Federal Government of Somalia to help resolve the conflict in northern Somalia. Meanwhile, militias linked to Somaliland’s former president, formed after the defeat at Gojacade, seized properties in Ceerigaabo belonging to Dhulbahante and Warsangeli residents, further displacing civilians politically represented by SSCK and Puntland.
The SSCK Administration’s commitment to lawful prosecutions and its decision to release over 20 detainees on humanitarian grounds have been welcomed by observers. As the trials begin, the administration faces the crucial task of balancing justice and fairness in pursuit of lasting peace.
