A/HRC/21/61 40. The Independent Expert was informed that, in July 2012, President Farole had signed the Puntland Political Associations Act into law. This permitted the establishment of political parties in Puntland not allowed in the past. E. Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions 41. The Independent Expert was informed about the formation in northern Somalia of a semi-autonomous federal State of Somalia bringing together the Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions, known as “Khatuumo State”, by a group of politicians, diaspora figures, elders and religious leaders from the Dulbahante subclan of Darod, who met in Taleeh in January 2012. The territory is claimed by both Somaliland and Puntland. The “Khatuumo administration” announced that it supported the unity of Somalia. The President of the Transitional Federal Government initially announced the recognition of Khatuumo State, but this was subsequently withdrawn. 42. It should be mentioned that the Dulbahante clan was central to the politics in the territorial dispute between Puntland and Somaliland over Sool and Sanaag. Divided loyalties within the subclan between Somaliland and Puntland often caused instability in the region and tension between the two authorities, although both Puntland and Somaliland tried to accommodate Dulbahante representation within their respective administrations. Since the emergence of Khatuumo State, citizens (especially in the Sool region) apparently expressed support for the new State in public demonstrations, which the Somaliland security forces reportedly suppressed, using force that led to a number of deaths. 43. The political and security situation in the region remained tense. During the reporting period, clashes occasionally broke out between Somaliland forces and armed groups aligned to Khatuumo State, leading to numerous deaths and civilians casualties. On 26 January 2012, fighting reportedly broke out between Somaliland forces and the Dulbahante clan militias in a village near Buuhoodle, in Cayn. This resulted in several deaths and casualties. In February 2012, fighting flared up again between Somaliland forces and forces aligned to the Khatuumo administration near the border town of Buuhoodle, resulting in deaths and casualties among the civilian population and forcing some residents to flee. 44. During his visit to Somaliland, the Independent Expert discussed the situation with Harshi Abdi Hassan, the Minister in the President’s office, who informed him that President Silanyo was committed to dialogue and had called for a peace conference in this regard. Moreover, preliminary talks were under way to find a political solution. He added that the talks between the Minister for Justice with a leader of Khatuumo in Djibouti and the envisaged conference in Abu Dhabi were headed in the right direction. 45. In response to the concern expressed by the Independent Expert about allegations of repression by Somaliland security forces of unarmed people who were exercising their right to peaceful demonstrations, the Minister denied the allegations, stating that there were people who were against the Government, which had the responsibility to maintain public order. He added that, unlike other Somali regions, there was no dominant clan in these territories, as all clans had a mixed population. He stated that Sanaag had been was pacified, but there were still some gaps in Sool, taking advantage of which anti-peace forces had attacked the Somaliland army. 46. At the request of the Independent Expert to allow the UNPOS Human Rights Unit and other human rights organizations to monitor alleged human rights violations in the region, the Minister agreed to allow, facilitate and organize such visits. The Independent Expert drew the attention of the Minister to the work of Humanitarian Dialogue, an independent agency in Geneva that helped promote dialogue between conflicting parties. 9