Tuesday December 19, 2023
Garowe (HOL) - Sultan Abdiasis Afgudud, a candidate for the Puntland regional state Presidency, and three of his supporters died in a car accident on the road between Bosaso and Qardho towns in Puntland state on Tuesday morning.
The candidate and many of his supporters were en route to the city of Qardho, where preparations were underway to welcome him.
Regional security agencies confirmed that the Land Cruiser vehicle the candidate was travelling was overturned in the Qayadsame area of the Bari region.
The deceased, also a traditional elder, had recently announced his candidacy for the election in the coastal town of Bosaso.
The Puntland regional leadership election is scheduled for next month, January 2024. In May, the oil-rich region staged its first direct polls in more than half a century during local council elections, a move hailed by international partners as historic.