Erigavo, (Idil News) β Intense fighting erupted on Saturday in the disputed town of Erigavo, located in Sanaag region of Somalia, between Somaliland troops and SSC-Khatumo forces, leaving at least two people dead and eight injured, according to local sources.
According to reports, 2 Somaliland troops were dead and 8 injured and they were retreating from the center of the town. The other side of SSC-Khatumo forces 4 injured. During six hours of intense clash.
Local residents report that hundreds of SSC-Khatumo fighters infiltrated residential areas in Erigavo, sparking heavy confrontations. The situation remains tense with expectations of further hostilities resuming at dawn.
The violence marks a significant escalation in the struggle for control over Erigavo, a town at the center of a territorial dispute. SSC-Khatumo, a recently re-established regional entity, seeks to gain full control of the Sanaag region as part of its broader effort to become a federal member state of Somalia. The administration presently controls the Sool and Cayn regions, as well as parts of Sanaag.
Somaliland, a self-declared breakaway region seeking international recognition as an independent state, desires to secede Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn as part of the former British colonial. However, SSC-Khatumoβs leaders assert their right to self-determination and allegiance to Somaliaβs federal system.
This latest outbreak of violence follows last monthβs deadly clashes in Erigavo, where nine people were killed and many others injured during confrontations between Somaliland forces and civilians who are affiliated with SSC-Khatumo.