Las Anod Water Supply Facility Destroyed

On 29 August 2023, The Somali Digest reported that the Las Anod water supply facility had been destroyed by Somaliland soldiers who fled the area on Saturday, following the capture of the Gooja’adde military base by SSC-Khaatumo forces.

The water plant, which supplied water to Las Anod, lies within the Gooja’adde vicinity and was part of the city's critical civilian infrastructure, according to the report.

Somaliland’s army had captured the plant in March, interrupting the supply. After the latest events, soldiers claimed the facility remained unharmed, but numerous photos on social media displayed it utterly destroyed. The report noted a spray-painted message left on a wall reading “Leave SNM alone,” a reference to the Somali National Movement, a guerrilla group that opposed the Siad Barre regime in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Somali Digest described the destruction as one of many suspected war crimes inflicted on Las Anod civilians during seven months of conflict, including frequent shelling that killed hundreds and displaced at least 200,000, and targeted hospitals. On 16 August, shelling killed poet Jama Kediye and 85-year-old elder Jama Digale.

The report does not establish what has happened to the facility or the water supply since the reported destruction, and no independent verification beyond the photographs was provided.