Dhahar

Where it is

Dhahar is the capital of Dhahar district in eastern Sanaag, at about 9.75°N, 48.82°E (Wikipedia: Dhahar; Wikidata). Roads link it east towards Hingalol and Sheerbi: in August 2022 the Puntland president laid the foundation stone for a road from Dhahar to Hingalol; the 45 km road to Sheerbi was then almost finished, while only 20 of the 70 km to Hingalol were built (Horseed Media, 2022). See also Badhan, the other main town of eastern Sanaag.

Who runs it

The town is claimed by both Somaliland and Puntland, and sources describe it differently. Reuters reported Dhahar as a Puntland town in 2021; SBC reported in 2019 that it was in practice under Somaliland; a 2014 study called it a district of Puntland (Wikipedia: Dhahar). Puntland names the area Haylan region and sends its governor there (Wikipedia: Dhahar). Wikipedia also records a Somaliland army base in the town, home to its 93rd division (Wikipedia: Dhahar).

Timeline

• November 2009: Puntland and Somaliland forces clashed near Dhahar (VOA).
• 2016: an incident between the two sides at Boodda-Cad, a settlement 30 km west of Dhahar (BBC Somali, July 2016).
• January 2018: Somalia's Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Gamal Mohamed Hassan, visited Dhahar and Badhan with Puntland officials (Wikipedia: Dhahar; BBC Somali).
• March 2021: police fired into the air to break up protesters in Dhahar who backed President Farmaajo and opposed Puntland President Deni (Reuters, March 2021).
• May and October 2023: visits by Puntland ministers and the Haylan governor (Daljir).
• September 2023: 24 of Dhahar district's 33 councillors, including members of Puntland's ruling Kaah party, rejected Local Law No. 7 agreed by Puntland's parties (Horseed Media, 2023).

July 2025 fighting

On 15 July 2025 heavy fighting broke out in Dhahar between Puntland forces, including the Puntland Maritime Police Force, and local militias aligned with SSC-Khatumo, after Puntland forces moved to remove new checkpoints. Hiiraan Online reported four soldiers killed and ten wounded in hours of fighting (Hiiraan Online, July 2025); Wikipedia records dozens dead in total (Wikipedia: Dhahar).

The fighting came during a conference in Laascaanood where Warsangali and Dhulbahante delegates were discussing a new federal member state backed by the federal government. The same day Puntland's parliament expelled a former speaker, Abdirashid Yusuf Jibril, after an arrest warrant was issued (Garowe Online). Puntland's president held the federal government responsible for efforts to bring Sanaag into SSC-Khatumo, and Somalia's Ministry of Interior urged Puntland to withdraw its troops from Dhahar (Hiiraan Online, July 2025; Garowe Online). See North Eastern State.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Dhahar
• Wikidata Q3780880
• Hiiraan Online, clashes in Dhahar, July 2025
• Reuters, March 2021
• FSNAU Sanaag survey, 2002