Until Somalia Independence Before the colonial period, the Badhan area lay within the heartland of the
Warsangali Sultanate in eastern
Sanaag. In the 1910s, during the Dervish wars,
Mohammed Abdullah Hassan’s forces exerted control over parts of the interior of
British Somaliland, and the Badhan area figured among the Dervish-era strongpoints, including a fort attributed to this period. In 1933 a severe drought prompted the opening of a relief camp at Badhan that housed an estimated 2,500–3,000 people.
Until Somali civil war (1960–1991) Following Somali independence in 1960, Badhan was administered as an inland township of eastern Sanaag. In the 1970s, a series of heavy rains unleashed powerful floods across the interior; contemporaneous reporting in an environmental study notes that the
Siad Barre government relocated the population of Xubeera to Badhan. The 1974–1975 drought (Abaartii Dabadheer) affected northern Somalia, triggering large-scale relief operations and population movements across Sanaag’s pastoral zones around Badhan.
Somali Civil War and Somaliland’s founding Through the 1980s, while conflict intensified elsewhere, districts inhabited by the Warsangeli—in and around Badhan—were recorded as remaining largely free from fighting up to the collapse of the central government in 1991. After the
Republic of Somaliland’s 1991 declaration of independence, authority in the far east of the claimed territory remained uneven. Studies note that through most of the 1990s the Somaliland administration largely left the
Dhulbahante and
Warsangali areas of
Sool and eastern
Sanaag “to their own devices,” with customary leadership and local arrangements prevailing around Badhan. Peace conferences during 1990–1997 helped stabilize much of Somaliland, but eastern Sanaag remained only partially integrated into
Hargeisa’s structures. In the wider north-east, Harti–
Darod constituencies (including the Warsangali around Badhan) pursued a track that culminated in the founding of the
Puntland State in 1998; analyses trace that formation to clan conferences and security coordination among
Majeerteen,
Dhulbahante and Warsangali leaders.
After Puntland’s founding (1998–2007) Following the creation of
Puntland in 1998, Badhan and the surrounding Warsangali-inhabited interior of eastern
Sanaag developed links to Puntland’s administration alongside local customary authority. Analysts record that, in parallel with Puntland’s structures, Somaliland sought to project administrative claims eastwards in the early 2000s (creating a nominal “Badhan” region), while Puntland announced the
Haylan region; on the ground, Warsangali communities around Badhan continued to manage affairs through their own councils and elders. In June 2013, Somaliland forces were reported to have taken control of Badhan district from Puntland forces. Later that year, a Puntland presidential hopeful’s visit drew protest from Somaliland-focused outlets for “violating” Somaliland’s sovereignty claims. In March 2014, local media again noted Somaliland troops entering Badhan, after which the situation was said to have calmed. On 19 October 2015, eight members of the Somaliland National Electoral Commission were detained by Puntland authorities in Badhan district and released shortly thereafter. In mid-2016, Somaliland proceeded with elements of its voter-registration rollout in eastern Sanaag. On 18 July 2016, the Somaliland-appointed Badhan mayor stated registration was proceeding across the district, and on 17 July 2016 Somaliland’s defence minister visited Badhan amid reported tensions in eastern Sanaag. In February 2017, administrative turnover on the Somaliland side was noted when the Badhan district governor died in
Hargeisa.
Puntland's administrative (2018–2023) In 2018, Puntland authorities stepped up their administrative presence in Badhan. On 20 September 2018, the Puntland cabinet convened a formal session in Badhan, and the following day the president’s delegation was publicly received in the town, underscoring Garowe’s links to local administration. In early 2018, Somalia’s federal planning minister also toured Badhan and Dhahar with Puntland officials, reflecting federal–state engagement in eastern Sanaag. On 30 May 2019, the Somaliland-appointed “governor of Badhan” resigned and aligned himself with Puntland, On 20 October 2021, local elders in Badhan publicly distanced the town from reported evictions in Erigavo, indicating sensitivities amid the Somaliland–Puntland dispute. Badhan participated in Puntland’s 2023 local democratization exercise. International reporting notes that on 25 May 2023, the Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission (TPEC) conducted one-person-one-vote municipal elections across 30 districts, including Badhan, as part of the state’s first statewide direct local polls; subsequent summaries discuss council compositions and party shares at district level.
Recent History (2024–) During 2024–2025, tensions between Puntland and the federal government over constitutional amendments also formed a significant backdrop, with Puntland announcing a freeze in cooperation with federal institutions in March–April 2024; local administration in Badhan continued to function under Puntland’s framework amid these statewide dynamics. In October 2024, a brief clash was reported in Badhan between Puntland forces and troops aligned with the self-proclaimed Maakhir authorities, amid a standoff around the district; both sides were said to be entrenched outside the town and no major casualties were initially reported. In the broader Sanaag theatre, further confrontations were reported in mid-2025 around Ceelbuh, reflecting continued contention over administrative alignment in eastern Sanaag. ==References==