This was shortly followed by the replacement of the Somaliland insignia with the Somali flag and Khaatumo-SSC emblem to signify rejection to the Somaliland secession and identify with the unity of Somalia in what became known as “the Blue Revolution”. The traditional leaders were received by overwhelming Laasaanod residents waving the blue Somali flag stretching kilometers beyond the reach of human eye. This occasioned a long overdue homecoming of many SSC elite and the prominent Traditional Leaders who came to the town in droves with large entourages and heavy security detail aimed to protect the conference and fortify the city defenses against an impending Somaliland attack. Reception for the Homecoming of Garaad Jaamac Garaad Cali in Laasaanood
Deeming the ouster as a respite from the Somaliland chokehold, a self-determination conference was announced by Garaad Jaamac Garaad Ismail, an eminent traditional leader from Jaamac Siyaad sub-clan of Dhulbahante. Short exchange of firefight ensued and the Somaliland authorities were ousted in a flash forcing their retreat to Military barracks on the eastern flank of the city. On 3 rd January 2023 another resident carrying a rifle to guard his business was shot dead by the Somaliland police under the pretext that he violated the curfew rules, this instigated a swift response by a militia belonging to the Dhulbahante that the deceased hailed from. This was followed by peaceful demonstrations by the Laasaanood residents demanding justice to be served, then all hell broke loose as the Somaliland authorities responded with heavy-handed disproportionate excessive brute force including but not limited to the use of live bullets, arbitrary detention, intimidation of the civilians, disconnection of telecommunications, interruption of water supply and imposition of curfew which claimed the lives of nearly 20 civilians. On the 26th of December 2022, Abdifatah Abdullahi Abdi “Hadraawi”, a young politician of the Wadani opposition party of Somaliland was the last victim of the targeted assassinations. Some pundits posit that the targeted killings were sponsored by Somaliland to partly rid themselves of those deemed as threat to the secessionist agenda, so that they can keep the rest of the civilian population under their thumb. This was followed by the deportation of many IDPs from the southern part of Somalia under the pretext that they are aliens harboring terrorists, but the targeted assassinations remained unabated. The Laasaanood residents viewed the perpetual targeting of the cream of SSC community that were confined to their territories as deliberately woven acts of violence devised to intimidate by way of labeling the region as safe haven for extremists, so that they will always find themselves at the mercy of Somaliland’s brutality. These targeted killings in Laascaanod raised suspicion as to the motive behind it. This was instigated by the targeted assassinations of dozens of the town’s residents that commenced in 2009 of which no due process for bringing the perpetrators to justice was done, whilst the other localities under the Somaliland administration enjoyed relative stability. The reality on the ground has changed and political landscape has shifted as a result of more than a decade long subjugation of the SSC communities by Somaliland which has eventually culminated with the Laasaanood upraising. Moreover, there are grievances held by some of the SSC political elite who opted for Somaliland due to disillusionment of their communities with the successive Puntland governments which they deemed as not living up to its commitment following the state formation in 1998 which the SSC Harti sub-clans in the north namely Dhulbahante and Warsangeli partook its establishment together with their brethren sub-clans in the north east. Somaliland remained the de facto administration of Laancaanod owing partly to geopolitical diplomatic pressures in favor of Somaliland that prevented Puntland’s efforts to retake. Most of the Sool region has been under Somaliland administration since 2007, after the control of the regional capital of Laasanood fell to the grip of Somaliland following a daylong skirmish between Puntland and Somaliland that led to unchallenged takeover of the city of Laasaanood. The Genesis of the SSC-Somaliland Conflict
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