A high-level Somaliland delegation led by Vice President Mohamed Ali Aw Abdi visited Erigavo on Monday to promote peace and integrate local clan militias into the Somaliland army.
The delegation, including military officers and senior government officials, is expected to invite clan elders to a peace table to resolve ongoing conflicts in the Sanaag, Sool, and Togdheer regions.
“We have come to restore peace, and everyone must play a part. We hope that God will protect us and that this journey will be remembered as the return of peace to Erigavo,” Aw Abdi said.
“The armed forces are responsible for public safety, and we will ensure that anyone armed is incorporated into the national army,” he said.
Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro stressed that while Somaliland forces will secure Erigavo, dialogue remains the preferred path to ending the conflict. “Peace is our top priority,” he said.
More than 40,000 families have fled Erigavo after clashes between Somaliland forces and SSC-Khaatumo militants. Meanwhile, some traditional leaders in Sool and Sanaag have called for war against Somaliland, as the SSC-Khaatumo leader Abdiqadir Aw Ali Firdhiye recently threatened that his forces would capture Erigavo, accusing Somaliland of harassing local communities.
