Reports from Somalia’s semiautonomous state of Puntland indicate that several regional soldiers have defected to Somaliland.
According to sources in the region, 70 soldiers left their posts to join their colleagues in Somaliland.
The defecting soldiers blamed the manner the government of Somaliland had treated them over a long period.
Specifically, the defecting soldiers cited “gross injustices” from Puntland authorities as the main reason for moving to Somaliland.
Lieutenant Abdihakim Yasin Mohamud, one of the defecting soldiers, acknowledged Somaliland as their “homeland.”
Faarah Ali Mohamed, the District Commissioner of Bo’ame, said that the soldiers were highly welcome in Somaliland, which is their soil.
It is worth noting that the defecting soldiers have moved into the region with two battlewagons.