UN: Over 7,000 forcibly evicted from Las Anod, north of Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The number of southerners forcefully displaced from Las Anod, a town in the breakaway region of Somaliland has hit slightly of 7,000, the United Nations said, with a big humanitarian crisis now building up in the federal republic of Somalia.

According to UNHCR’s Protection and Return Monitoring Network [PRMN], over 7,250 people have so far been affected, in a conflict that caught the world unaware despite the existence of differences between Hargeisa and Mogadishu.

Some 24 households have also reportedly moved to nearby villages in Buhoodle district, according to mapping done by PRMN. In Ceerigaabo town, Sanaag region, 75 people have reportedly left for Gaalkacyo and Baidoa towns after authorities issued a notice asking people from southern areas to leave by 21 October, the agency said.

"Over 3,300 displaced people from Laas Caanood have arrived in Gaalkacyo since 2 October when the forced displacements started, of whom 986 have proceeded to South West State, Hirshabelle and Banadir," the global body said in a statement.

"Another 32 families [75 people] arrived in Margaga settlement in the outskirts of Ba’adweyn town, 50km northeast of Gaalkacyo. On 14 October, they were airlifted to Baidoa. Since 10 October, 561 displaced families [3,366 people] have arrived in Baidoa," the agency added.

So far, there are incidents of separation of families following the mass deportation of people which further worries the United Nations. Most of the deportees have settled in various towns of Puntland, a state within northern Somalia.

"The forceful displacement of scores of families from Laas Caanood has raised protection concerns. The displaced have reported separation of families, child abandonment, and loss of property," UN further said. "Protection Cluster partners in Gaalkacyo reported that seven separated minors have now been reunited with their families. One unaccompanied minor is living with IDPs in Gaalkacyo, according to Puntland authorities."

Somaliland has since defended the evictions which are apparently targeting those from the south, arguing that the operation was carried following security concerns in the region. However, some reports intimate that business rivalry between northerners and southerners triggered the incident.

The breakaway region of Somaliland claimed independence from Somalia in 1991 after three decades of a toxic relationship that led to a civil war. Since then, Somaliland, although unrecognized by the international community, has been running a parallel government from that of Mogadishu.

GAROWE ONLINE