Somalia: SSC-Khatumo seeks Chinese support

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The leadership of SSC-Khatumo is seeking support from the Chinese government, following years of conflict within Las Anod, which left hundreds of people dead and others displaced, in one of the region's worst conflicts.

Somaliland regional army was embroiled in a tussle with SSC-Khatumo regions which have since pledged allegiance to Mogadishu, with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud embracing them.

Abdikhadir Firdhiye, the leader of SSC-Khatumo, along with his cabinet, met the Chinese ambassador to Somalia Chen Wendi along with other diplomats in Nairobi, where they discussed possible help to the people of SSC-Khatumo regions.

According to reports, the two parties focused on China's possible assistance to the SSC-Khatumo regions and administration, with humanitarian aid topping the list. Several people remain displaced in the region.

For some time, the region has been working closely with the government of Somalia, bypassing the Somaliland region which claimed most parts of SSC-Khatumo. Somaliland recently vowed to protect the region from 'external interference'.

Firdhiye noted that the Chinese government was the first to donate to the people of SSC Khatumo during the difficult conditions caused by the long-term conflict in Las Anod town. The town is recovering from the deadly war which lasted for several months.

In Mogadishu, Firdhiye also met representatives from the national government where development in the region was discussed. There have been calls to establish a new state in northern Somalia, an idea opposed by the regional administration of Somaliland.

GAROWE ONLINE