Puntland has given seven days to residents of villages near the Baallade River to evacuate, in a bid to cut off supplies to the Islamic State group, which is said to sometimes receive food and livestock from residents.
Security agencies have accused residents of the Tasjiic area of collaborating with ISIS, saying the government must take action to prevent the group from receiving supplies to operate.
Security forces recently arrested men and women accused of supplying food and other goods to ISIS, who were caught while returning from the Baallade River. Some residents have also been accused of working with ISIS minelayers.
The decision has sparked fear and concern among elders and peacekeepers from the villages ordered to evacuate, who said the residents are facing a severe drought and do not have the means to move from their land.
Nabadoon Abdikadir Ahmed Xarago, a resident, accused President Deni of wanting to displace people from their homes so that the land could be transferred to the UAE, which he said wanted to mine there. He said the local community did not have the capacity to support new displacements and had no ties to ISIS.
Nabadoon called on the government to deploy troops to the villages to arrest anyone working for ISIS, rather than displacing people from their land.
