January 02,2023 (SD) – The Speaker of the House of Representatives of Somaliland, Abdirizaq Khalif, today spoke for the first time about Lasanod, accusing the government of the outgoing President, Muse Bihi, the responsibility for the atrocities that are taking place there.

Speaker Abdirizaq, who spoke to the BBC, blamed the bad policies of President Muse Bihi’s government and the local Sool administration for the unrest.

The Chairman of the House of Representatives said that suppression and the use of force will not resolve the issues in Sool, and pointed out that the outgoing administration of Muse Bihi needs to come up with a plan to deal with the problems that caused the people to rise up in the first place.

These statements come at a time when the city of Lasanod has been in a state of instability for a week and as a result, people fleeing the city.

The protestors took it to the streets today and the reported death toll is said to be about 20 while many more are injured. Initially, Lasanod residents were angered by the killing of the city’s intellectuals and the lack of security but are now demanding the Somaliland administration leave the region.