The authorities in the self-declared independent state of Somaliland, in northwestern Somalia, have announced that the final results of last week's referendum showed that 97.09 percent of the voters supported the new constitution. A senior official said that the new constitution contains a clause confirming Somaliland's independence. The region declared unilateral independence in May 1991, but has so far received no international recognition.

Abdi Idris Du'ale, press secretary to President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal of Somaliland, said the results were announced at a ceremony in the Somaliland parliament, and would be officially endorsed by Somaliland's Supreme Court at a later date. However, it is reported that the "yes" vote in the referendum is very unlikely to change foreign attitudes. Foreign donors continued to hope for a reunited Somalia and were unlikely to give Somaliland international recognition for as long as the Transitional National Government (TNG) in Mogadishu continued to exist.

Tension is rising in the Lower Shabelle Region of southern Somalia, as the TNG and a faction opposed to it deploy forces in the region. The TNG confirmed that it had deployed forces in the area around Balidogle airport, 110 km northwest of Mogadishu. The bulk of these forces are reported to be in Wanle Weyne town, 90 km northwest of Mogadishu. "We have sent forces there for defensive purposes," said Mahmud Muhammad Hayd, the TNG deputy defence minister. According to Hayd, the TNG forces will not attack anyone, but are there "to protect the area from enemy forces, both foreign and domestic". Hayd said the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA) "was being used by a foreign country as an instrument of division". The TNG has also set up defensive positions in other regions in the south in anticipation of a push to capture some southern regions by "this foreign-inspired so-called opposition", he said.

The RRA controls the Bay and Bakol regions in southwestern Somalia. It previously attacked TNG positions in the Wanle Weyne area. Sheikh Adan Muhammad Nur, deputy chairman of the RRA (which carried out the attack on Wanle Weyne on 27 May where at least 19 people were killed) said it would continue to fight until "we remove the TNG and its supporters from all Digil and Mirifle lands".