Las Anod

Las Anod ( so, Laascaanood; ar, لاسعانود) is the administrative capital of the Sool region of Somaliland.Regions of Somalia
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Territorial dispute

The city is disputed by Puntland and Somaliland. The former bases its claim due to the kinship ties between the Dhulbahante clan and the dominant clan in Puntland, the Majeerteen, whilst the latter's claim is grounded on the border of the former British Somaliland Protectorate. The city was the proclaimed capital of Khatumo State throughout its existence until its dissolvement in 2017.

Somaliland forces captured the city in the Battle of Las Anod in 2007, ousting Puntland forces, and has maintained full control of the city in all aspects since. Until now Somaliland governs Las Anod with little legitimacy or popularity, while regular unknown assassinations have deteriorated the security situation.

Ahmed Musa reports, the residents of Las Anod have not fully accepted Somaliland's presence in their city:

Somaliland still governs Lasanod with little legitimacy or popularity. This is one reason why Somaliland has to be flexible with respect to tax collection. It cannot impose the full tax code on the Dhulbahante territories because that would only reinforce local people’s existing grievances vis-à-vis Somaliland. Therefore, Somaliland’s reduced taxes (cashuur dhaaf) in the Lasanod areas are one way of garnering, or at least retaining, some level of public acceptance.

History

Pre-independence

On the 31st July 1903, a battle occurred between 30 British scouts and 128 Dervish scouts, a few miles west of Heli Madu near Las Anod:British war office, 1907, page 392, "As an example of their work, I may mention that a party of 40 mounted Illalos left Bohotle in August, 1903, brushed through a fairly strong party of Dervish Illalos in the vicinity of the Dehjeuner and reconnoitred to about 10 miles east of Beretabli, a distance of 140 miles, the first 80 of which were waterless. ... the illaloes managed to penetrate well within the circle of Dervish karias (or Nomad villages), and succeeded in securing two most useful prisoners, returning with the loss of one man only, having covered a distance of 300 miles in nine days"

"half way between Las Anod and Heli Madu ... they were the advanced scouts of a party of 128 of the Mullah's scouts, mostly spearmen ... the enemy emerged from thick bush. They fought for two hours, the enemy losing many men killed and wounded, the exact number not being known ; the enemy dragged their wounded and dead away.

The motive for this Dervish development was said by Roman Loimeier as caused by how the Dhulbahante had not signed colonial protective treaties (since the Italians considered part of the Dhulbahante as subjects of the Italian-protected Sultan of the Majeerteen), combined with the fear, agitation and anxiety from contemporaneous yearly expedition-raids by marauding Menelik II armies and their pillaging.

During the British protectorate era, Las Anod was the capital of the Nogal District, the precursor province of Sool, described by John Hunt as an "entirely Dolbahanta" province.

Post-independence

The United Somali Party was founded in Las Anod with the intention of forming a non- Isaaq axis, due to tensions deriving from the instability in 1954 and 1955. The instability of 1954 was primarily due to camel-rustling between Dhulbahante and Habar Jeclo, whilst that of 1955 was due to roaming resulting from droughts that culminated into a war with Dhulbahante on one side battling the two Isaaq clans of Habr Yunis and Habar Jeclo on the other:

On the 27th of October the District Commissioner Las Anod, completed the hearing of an enquiry into previous unrest in the region... One of those killed was a man of the Habar Yuunis Sa'ad Yuunis who were fighting with the Habar Ja'lo against the Ḍulbahante, and the other a man of the MaḤammad Abokor.

From 1959 until 1961, Las Anod was the seat of Garad Ali's USP party. With Las Anod as its seat, Garad Ali's USP party formed a coalition consisting of the Warsangeli, Gadabuursi and Dhulbahante clans. In the previous six years, Ali's father Garad Farah, was in self-induced exile in Mogadishu:

Ali Gerad Jama , the university - educated son of the Gerad ( chief ) Jama Farah ( who went into voluntary exile in Mogadiscio from 1952 to 1958 as a result of his conflict with the British administration ) provided the main drive behind the party.

On October 15, 1969, whilst paying a visit to the city, Somali President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was shot dead by one of his own bodyguards. His assassination was quickly followed by a military coup d'état on October 21, 1969 (the day after his funeral), in which the Somali Military seized power without encountering armed opposition — essentially a bloodless takeover. The putsch was spearheaded by Major General Mohamed Siad Barre, who at the time commanded the army.Moshe Y. Sachs, ''Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations'', Volume 2, (Worldmark Press: 1988), p.290.

Initially, there was cordiality between the SYL party (Somali Youth League) and the northern Harti-dominated USP party; for instance the parties held joint conferences across Somalia and together expressed support for Somalia's new constitution in 1960. However, post independence, Las Anod has had a history of suspicion of centralized politics, including against the unitary and Somali nationalist platform of the Somali Youth League (SYL). For example, in the 1960s, five SYL officials were killed within the city. Towards the end of the decade 16 people were once against killed when the SYL party supporters staged in the city.

Throughout the 21st century, Las Anod has been described as the only city in the Horn of Africa wherein the population's dignitaries are regularly assassinated without a culprit, suspect or defendant being named, including the extolled influencer Cabdirisaaq Cardoofe, assassinated in 2021.

Politics

Las Anod is the centre of political power of the Dhulbahante clan. As of 2021, Las Anod constituents are represented by 12 members parliament representing Sool elected in the Somaliland parliamentary elections. With nominal participation in the Somaliland elections, a mere 5 representatives hail from the Dhulbahante which almost exclusively inhabit the Sool region. From the 2005 parliamentary elections onwards, the Isaaq clans in Aynaba District have benefited disproportionally from the absence of this community. Hoehne explains:

Additionally, residents are represented by 13 local councillors elected in the Somaliland municipal elections.

In the 2021 parliamentary and municipal elections about 100,000 residents registered to vote across the Sool region with a thin majority registering in the capital Las Anod. This was a dismal voter turnout as the acceptance of Somaliland’s presence in the eastern regions remains uneven. The Crisis Group reports:

Abdirisak Khalif who hails from Las Anod was also selected as the speaker of Somaliland's house of representatives in the same year.

Geography

Las Anod is strategically positioned in the Nugaal Valley and along the trade routes in Somaliland and Puntland. The city is almost surrounded by hills and has considerable water resources, the latter of which makes it a prime destination for peoples from other parts of generally arid regions within Somaliland as well as from neighboring countries such as Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia .

Economy

Evictions carried out in 2021 were reportedly due to business rivalries between locals and residents from South West State of Somalia. According to a recent research report, the Berbera and Bosaso ports are the main sources of commodities that arrive in Las Anod:

Demographics

According to the UNFPA 2014 population estimate the Las Anod District has an estimated population of 156,438 inhabitants.

The city is primarily inhabited by people from the Somali ethnic group, in particular by the Dhulbahante sub-clan of the Harti Darod.Roble, Faisal (22 October 2007
"Somaliland: Is Invading Los Anod Part of Creating 'New Reality on the Ground'"?
''WardheerNews.Com'' The ''gaashaanbuur'' subclan of ''Shiikhyaale'' especially well represented.Taariikhdii daraawiishta iyo Sayid Maxamad Cabdille Xasan, PAGE 176, 2005 The Fiqishini (Hawiye) which at times form part of Baho Nugaaled are also present in Las Anod.

In the 1950s, Ioan Lewis described the lineage cleavage running through the city as follows:

Education

Las Anod has numerous primary schools which include both private and public. Currently there are 6 Primary Schools in the city of Las Anod; Gol Khatumo, Gateway, Abyan, Ilays, Imam Shafi and Sool primary schools.

Secondary school education is provided by Ilays Educational Academy, Muse Yusuf and Nugaal High Schools. Founded in 2004, Nugaal University (NU) is the first post-secondary institution of higher learning to be established in the area. The first group of four-year Nugaal University students graduated in September 2009. Also there are Ilays National University and Gollis University both established in Las Anod in 2015.

There are also a number of academic institutions in Las Anod which provide diverse education services such as Sool Institute of Heath Sciences (SIHS), Al-Furqan Islamic Institute, Sahal Software College, Future Technology Center etc.

Climate

Las Anod has a hot arid climate (Köppen ''BWh'') with consistently very warm to hot temperatures and almost no rainfall except erratically in May and October.

Culture

Media

There are many media companies whom operated in Las Anod in the 2010s, including Somnews, SBS, Radio Las Anod, Universal TV.

Notable residents

* Rooda Xassan, designer of Khatumo flag
*Abdi Bile, world champion long distance athlete
* Abdinasir Ali Hassan, entrepreneur and CEO of Hass Petroleum
*Abdirisak Khalif, current Speaker of the House of Representatives of Somaliland
* Abdirahman Mohamed Abdi Hashi, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources of Somalia
*Ali Khalif Galaydh, President of Khaatumo State and Former Prime Minister of Somalia
* Bashe Mohamed Farah, former Speaker of Somaliland House of Representatives
* Eng Mohamed Isse Lacle, Colonel in the Somali Navy and Former Deputy Minister of Ministry of Ports in Somaliland
*''Garad'' Jama Garad Ali, Dhulbahante clan chief
*Hodan Nalayeh, TV host and journalist Media
* Mohamed Abdi Hashi, former Chairman USP & Vice President of Puntland
* Abdi Hassan Mohamed, Incumbent Police Commissioner of the Somali Police Force.

References

{{Authority control

Populated places in Sool, Somaliland