Sahdheer ( so, Saaxdheer) is a town in southern
Sool
Sool ( so, Sool, ar, صول) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in south eastern Somaliland/north western Somalia. It borders Togdheer to the west, Sanaag to the north, Ethiopia to the south and Nugal, Bari to the east. Its capital city ...
region of
Somaliland
Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...
/
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
.
Overview
Saaxdheer is on the border with
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
. The town lies in the Sahader Valley, due south of
Las Anod
Las Anod ( so, Laascaanood; ar, لاسعانود) is the administrative capital of the Sool region of Somaliland.
Territorial dispute
The city is disputed by Puntland and Somaliland. The former bases its claim due to the kinship ties between ...
. Sahdheer lies a few miles northwest of
Gumburka Cagaare, the site of the greatest Darwiish victory over a joint Abyssinian-British force. The British force consisted of men from nine different regions of the world:
Within the encampment there was a strange medley of men drawn from many different corners of the Empire: From the British Isles, from South Africa, from Frontier of India, from Kenya, from the Nile, from the uplands of Central Africa, Boers and Sikhs and Sudanese: Their race had battled against the Empire not so many years before, but had since found contentment and prosperity under British rule.[Mad Mullah of Somaliland, page 94, Douglas Jardine
]
In August 2014, Somaliland troops marched into Sahdheer engaged pro-
Khatumo State
Khatumo State ( so, Khaatumo; ar, ولاية خاتمة, translit=wilāyat khātimah), officially the Khatumo State of Somalia ( so, Dowlad Goboleedka Khaatumo ee Soomaaliya), was a successor to the SSC Movement. Centred on the Sool, Sanaag reg ...
militias in battles that killed at least 10 people. United States Special Representative for Somalia
James P. McAnulty
James P. McAnulty (sometimes McNulty) is an American diplomat who served as the U.S. Envoy to Somalia.
After the U.S. officially recognized the government of Somalia and reopened its Mission there in 2013 after some 22 years, it continued to be re ...
and others jointly expressed concern over the deployment of troops to Sahdheer.
In June 2015, the President of Khatumo State,
Ali Khalif Galaydh
Ali Khalif Galaydh ( so, Cali Khalif Galaydh, ar, علي خليف غلير) (15 October 1941 – 8 October 2020) was a Somali politician. He was the Prime Minister of the transitional Somalia administration from 8 October 2000 to 28 October 2001. ...
, moved his address from
Buuhoodle
Buuhoodle ( so, Buuhoodle, ar, بووهودل), also known as Bohotle, is the second largest city in the Togdheer region of Somaliland and also the capital of the Cayn region under Puntland. It is a prominent border town for movements of goods t ...
to Sahdheer. Still, in August, he moved his address to
Balli Ad
Balli Ad (Balli Cad, Balicaad, Balicad) is a town in Buhoodle District of Togdheer region in Somaliland.
Balli Ad is a place name found throughout Somalis residential area.
History
In August 2015, Khatumo State President Ali Khalif Galaydh moved ...
in
Togdheer
Togdheer ( so, Togdheer, ar, تُوْجْدَيْر, Tūjdayr) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in central Somaliland. Togdheer is bordered by Maroodi Jeex to the west, Saaxil to the north, Sanaag to the northeast, Sool to the east and ...
due to the approach of the Somaliland army on the outskirts of the town and protests from residents.
Fighting between local clans in
Dhummay, Sool, October 2018. Dhummay elders blamed the Somaliland government for allowing the militia the opportunity to attack because the Somaliland army in Dhummay was moved to Sahdheer.
In August 2020, a mediation meeting was held in Sahdheer due to fighting between Dhulbahante clans (Ararsame and Hayaag) in
Horufadhi
Horufadhi (Hor-u-fadhi, Horu-fadhi, Horufadi, Horofadhi, Horafadi) is a town in the Togdheer region of Somaliland which comes under the Buhoodle District.
History
Horufadhi is mentioned as Horufadi in a book published in England in 1951. Accordi ...
.
In May 2021, Jaamac Faarax Xasan, Minister of Health for
Puntland
Puntland ( so, Puntland, ar, أرض البنط, it, Terra di Punt or ''Paese di Punt''), officially the Puntland State of Somalia ( so, Dowlad Goboleedka Puntland ee Soomaaliya, ar, ولاية أرض البنط الصومالية), is a F ...
, visits Sahdheer. Welcomed by clan chief, Garad Jama Garad Ali.
In January 2022, Somaliland's Ministry of Water Resources Development revived a well in the Sahdheer region.
Demographics
The town's main inhabitants are
Dhulbahante
The Dhulbahante ( so, Dhulbahante, ar, دلبةنتئ) is a Somali clan family, part of the Harti clan which itself belongs to the largest Somali clan-family — the Darod. They are the traditional inhabitants of the physiographic Nugaal in its ...
branch of the
Darod
The Darod ( so, Daarood, ar, دارود) is a Somali clan. The forefather of this clan was Sheikh Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, more commonly known as ''Darood''. The clan primarily settles the apex of the Horn of Africa and its peripherie ...
,
[ ] with the ''gaashaanbuur'' subclan of
Dharbash
Haroun, also called Fadhiweyn, and natively transliterated as Xarunta in Somali, was a government and headquarters of the Dervishes, headed by Faarax Mahmud Sugulle. According to Claude Edward Marjoribanks Dansey, the political officer in the ...
especially well represented.
[Taariikhdii daraawiishta iyo Sayid Maxamad Cabdille Xasan, PAGE 176, 2005]
Notes
References
Populated places in Sool, Somaliland
Ethiopia–Somaliland border crossings
{{Somaliland-geo-stub