SSC-Khatumo & Puntland’s Romantic Affair is Set to End

The SSC-Khatumo traditional elders announced on Saturday that they will no longer choose MPs to represent them in the Puntland parliament, thereby ending their long history of involvement in local politics.

SSC-Khatumo traditional authorities released a statement saying, “We decided not to select the 17 MPs representing SSC-Khatumo in the Puntland parliament and not to participate in the upcoming Puntland election.”

The statement goes on, “People from SSC-Khatumo will not be allowed to run for the deputy President of Puntland.”

The presidential contenders for Puntland had an urgent meeting in Garowe and released a statement outlining their stances on the election and SSC-Khatumo’s ruling.

The regional president, Said Abdullahi Deni, was accused by Puntland’s presidential candidates of inciting strife in the traditional elders’ process of choosing the next parliament’s members.

The candidates issued a two-page press release in which they first expressed their respect for SSC-Khatumo’s decision to withdraw from the Puntland election. However, they also stated that a consensus is required in order to break the affiliation into Puntland and SSC-Khatumo.

The candidates stressed that the selection of the 17 MPs from SSC-Khatumo should wait until the government and opposition have established a political settlement, preferably before December 31.

However, Abshir Omar Jama-Huruse, a former minister of foreign affairs and Puntland presidential candidate, wholeheartedly endorsed the ruling of the SSC-Khatumo Supreme Council. Before the election, he demanded that the leaders of Puntland and the other candidates have urgent meetings.

Conversely, following the SSC’s stance in the election, the Puntland government made an announcement on a fresh decision.

For the first time, the administration of President Saeed Deni has made an announcement regarding SSC-Khatumo, who said they would not be participating in the election of that administration.

The Deni government stated that as the two administrations have not yet been formally separated, the MP elections would proceed as planned and the SSC-Khatumo lawmakers will be chosen.

Additionally, he noted that the election will trigger Puntland and SSC-Khatumo’s separation process, but first the MPs for SSC-Khatumo will be chosen.

The already fragile situation in Las Anod City is probably going to get worse because of this challenging political climate.

Sources told VOA that there was a fight this morning in Las Anod, the capital of the Sool area, that resulted in one death and three injuries.

Two militias engaged in combat over weapons that they had previously taken from the Somaliland army during the two sides’ ongoing conflict.