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Militia have set up road blocks to prevent officials of the self-declared autonomous state of Puntland, northeast Somalia, travelling between Bosaso, the commercial capital, and Garowe, the regional capital, since Monday, 5 February. Road blocks have been set up 150 km south of Bosaso, near the town of Qardo, and, from Tuesday, 50 km south of Bosaso, local and humanitarian sources told IRIN. Puntland authorities despatched a force of more than 100 militia to reinforce security on Monday, but failed to remove the roadblocks, humanitarian and security sources told IRIN. Shooting was reported around Qardo, about 200 km south of Bosaso, on Monday. No casualties have been reported, and community elders have intervened to negotiate between competing militia, local sources said.
Leader of Puntland, Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The road blocks were set up by militia from the Osman Mahamud Majaeerten sub-clan, who are demanding the release of 15 detainees arrested last Friday after a public demonstration in Bosaso. Puntland security forces shot at protesters, killing one. Local officials, and people associated with the Puntland government, are being stopped from travelling on the road. The wife of the Puntland leader was among those prevented from travelling from Bosaso to Garowe. "She is in Bosaso and is unable to proceed to Garowe", local sources confirmed.
Local and humanitarian sources described Bosaso as "tense".
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions