Hargeysa, Somaliland, January 28, 2006 (SL Times) – The Vice-chairman of Somaliland Election Commission, Mr. Abdillahi Haji Omar (Abdillahi Jawan) issued a press statement last night at his residence in Hargeysa and called on all parties in Yo’ale district in Ethiopia to seize all hostilities and seek a peaceful end to this unfortunate conflict between the neighboring nomadic tribes of Arab (sub-Issaq clan) and Ogaden (sub-Darod clan) who have lived side by side together in same pasturelands (Zone Five region of Ethiopia), and have intermarriage linkage dating back centuries to stop killing one another.

Abdillahi Jawan made a plea to the governments of Somaliland and Ethiopia particularly the Zone Five autonomous regional government of Ethiopia to intervene and stop these hostilities with all means possible. Abdillahi Jawan said “traditional leaders and elders of the opposing sides should do the utmost best to put a stop to this conflict between these two neighboring clans who have existed side by side for centuries and without each other would seize to exist. And if this conflict is left to continue for too long it will have a disastrous consequence for the whole region”. Abdillahi Jawan concluded in his press statement “torching vehicles transporting goods in the region must stop if we are to seek halting all hostilities and settling all losses incurred before, during and after this conflict.”