(BBC) — At least 13 people have died in a clash between Somalis and Ethiopian Woyanne forces who had crossed the border, village elders told the BBC.

Elders said three Ethiopian Woyanne soldiers and at least 10 residents of Buhoodle district in Somaliland were killed in a shoot-out after a dispute at a checkpoint.

Residents say Ethiopian Woyanne troops regularly cross into southern and central Somalia and fight Islamists controlling their towns, according to Reuters news agency.

But it is believed to be the first time that they have sought to do this in the semi-autonomous region of Somaliland, which is generally seen as more stable than Somalia.

The conflict broke out after villagers expressed anger when soldiers searched several trucks and held them for several days, according to the elders and a district official.

“The Ethiopian Woyanne forces seized some public transports vehicles from the city. Many people were angered and they clashed with the Ethiopian Woyanne troops, stirring heavy fighting,” Buhoodle commissioner Osman Yousef Mohamed told AFP.

The forces had crossed from neighbouring Ethiopia into Somaliland – a self-declared republic – two weeks earlier.

Residents said that more Ethiopian Woyanne troops moved in following the confrontation.

“There is so much violence. We can still hear guns firing,” resident Safia Yusuf told Reuters.

“A lot of people are fleeing and we are scared the clashes will continue because the Ethiopians haven’t left and militias are getting reinforcements,” she added.

Correspondents say Ethiopia Woyanne and Somaliland often work together, with Ethiopia Woyanne assisting with security and Somaliland allowing its neighbour use of the strategic Berbera port.

Somaliland declared independence after the overthrow of Somali military ruler Siad Barre in 1991. Its independence has not been internationally recognised.

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