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After al-Shabaab fighters were pushed out of southern Somalia by African Union and Somali Transitional Federal Government forces, factions of the terrorist group have entered Somaliland, according to local officials.

"I would like to tell the people of Somaliland that the peace we have enjoyed for the last 21 years has developed enemies and is under attack," Somaliland Vice President Abdurahman Abdullahi Ismail said at the opening ceremony of the Film, Art, Poetry and Cultural Festival for Peace and Development held in Hargeisa on February 28th.

"The terrorist group al-Shabaab is under heavy pressure in southern Somalia and there are many factions of it entering Somaliland's major towns," Ismail said.

He urged the public to be alert and on the lookout for suspicious movements or unfamiliar people who may have recently entered the region. "Apart from God and the government, peace in Somaliland is in the hands of the public who will defend it against those who wish to destroy the country," he said.

Ismail said the government and the people of Somaliland are "feeling increased pressure" from the new security threats.

"You must keep eyes and ears opened," he said, addressing citizens. The vice president said the government told schools and universities to be on high alert for new faces who could be al-Shabaab militants. "Everyone living in the big cities must be watchful and aware of their surroundings, especially of any new youths in the area," he said.

Somaliland has been on high alert since early February, when al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda officially announced their alliance. Later that month, a militia group led by Mohamed Said, based in Bossaso and the Galgala mountains of Puntland, officially announced their affiliation with al-Shabaab.

Amina Farah, a 50-year-old grocery store owner in Hargeisa, said the government's security warning reminds her of the October 29th, 2008 attacks, in which six suicide car-bombers co-ordinated attacks in Hargeisa and Bossaso, killing at least 30 people. "This reminds me of the terrorist attacks in which I lost one of my relatives," Farah told Sabahi.

"[This time], I hope we -- both government and civilians -- will defend ourselves from the enemy, so they do not make us suffer again," she said.

Yassin Jama Alase, a lecturer at the University of Hargeisa, said al-Shabaab's entry into Somaliland and the group's recent merger with the Galgala militia could compromise security. While al-Shabaab would not be able to successfully engage in battles in Somaliland, the group could use targeted bombings to disrupt peace and security in the region, Alase said.

He said al-Shabaab primarily targets vulnerable youths, who are unemployed or can easily be lured in the name of religion. "They deceive the youth by telling them [terrorist acts] will take them to paradise," he told Sabahi.

As a counter-terrorism measure, the government should strengthen its borders to prevent al-Shabaab from entering Somaliland, Alase said. The government should also address education gaps and unemployment, which render youth vulnerable to al-Shabaab's recruitment strategy, he said.

"There should be job creation programs directed to youths and religious education that teaches them that suicide bombings are a sin," Alase said. He said young people must be cared for and supervised, especially in learning institutions to ensure they are not being brainwashed by extremists.

Dayib Muhumed Nor, an international relations lecturer at the New Generation University, said al-Shabaab will not be successful in Somaliland as long as the government and the public work together to preserve peace.

"It is necessary for the government to tighten security and partner with the public to assist one another in protecting the peace," he told Sabahi.