According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ongoing clashes between security forces and clan leaders in Las Anod, northern Somalia, have led to the death of 80 people and displaced 30,000 others. Since December 2022, an estimated 154,000 to 203,000 people have been displaced due to the fighting. The situation has worsened as the Sool region is facing severe drought and a high risk of disease outbreaks. The UN has reported that hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced within Somalia, while approximately 100,000 have fled to Ethiopia to escape violence. Las Anod is located in the Sool and Sanaag regions, which are contested by both Somaliland and Puntland States.
The WHO has increased its medical response in the area by donating biomedical equipment to establish a triage corner in Kalabeydh and training health staff in triage management. Additionally, 24 community-based surveillance teams have been deployed to detect cases, test, manage cases, and refer severe cases to health facilities in the Hudun and Buhoodle districts.
The current fighting began when local clan elders declared that they no longer wanted to be part of Somaliland and that the Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn regions were under the governance of the government of Somalia. Both sides are reportedly using heavy artillery and machine guns, causing severe damage, including to health facilities in the area.
The WHO has warned that the situation has escalated at a time when people in the Sool region are already facing unprecedented water shortages due to severe drought and are at an elevated risk of disease outbreaks. The organization is calling for an end to the violence to protect the civilian population and provide urgent assistance to those who have been affected.
