Hassan Sheikh in Las Anod for landmark visit

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has arrived in Las Anod to attend the inauguration of the first president of the North East Administration, who was elected last year. Officials from his government have described the visit as “historic,” marking the first time in decades that a sitting Somali president has set foot in the city.

The trip is widely viewed as a symbolic assertion of federal authority and a signal of deeper engagement with the newly established local administration in Las Anod, a city that has long been at the center of territorial and political disputes involving Somaliland, Puntland, and local actors.

President Mohamud was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, several cabinet ministers — among them the minister of defence — and the director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), Mahad Salad.

In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Prime Minister Barre said the visit was intended to strengthen governance and improve service delivery in the region. “The visit we made to the city of Las Anod was intended to jointly advance the strengthening of governance and the improvement of public services,” he wrote.

Somaliland government strongly criticized the president’s visit. Khadar Abdi, Somaliland’s minister of the presidency, accused President Hassan Sheikh of failing to unify Somalia’s federal member states.

“HSM has failed to unify Mogadishu, Garowe, and Kismayo,” Khadar said in a post on X. He reiterated Somaliland’s claim over Las Anod, stating that the city remains part of Somaliland and reaffirming his administration’s commitment to dialogue. “Las Anod is Somaliland, and we are committed to resolving differences through dialogue and peaceful means. HSM must put his own house in order,” he said, adding that “Somaliland’s recognition is now a reality, and no one can change that.”

The visit comes amid heightened political tensions, weeks after Israel announced its recognition of Somaliland as an independent state — a move that has reshaped regional dynamics and drawn sharp reactions across the Horn of Africa.

The timing underlines the federal government’s effort to project symbolic authority and counter Somaliland’s claims of territorial independence and control.

Las Anod is part of a northeastern administration that was formally recognized by the federal government late last year as a federal member state entity. The administration emerged from years of political instability and intermittent armed conflict, rooted in overlapping territorial claims by Somaliland and Puntland.

For decades, the regions of Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn were the subject of a protracted dispute between Somaliland and Puntland, with both sides asserting historical, clan-based, and administrative authority. The unresolved contest led to recurring tensions, militarization, and rival governance structures, often leaving local communities caught between competing administrations.

Efforts by local actors to establish a self-governing administration independent of both Somaliland and Puntland repeatedly failed until the outbreak of armed conflict in Las Anod in early 2023.

The violence was driven by long-standing local grievances and opposition to Somaliland’s continued presence in the city. Initially protests were met with force, quickly escalating into large-scale fighting. The clashes resulted in widespread displacement, civilian casualties, and significant damage to infrastructure, drawing international concern.

As fighting intensified, Somaliland forces gradually lost control of Las Anod and surrounding areas. Sustained resistance by local fighters, backed by Puntland forces and clan militias, weakened Somaliland’s military position. Eventually, its forces withdrew from the city and much of the contested territory, marking a major shift in the balance of power and ending Somaliland’s administrative control.

In the aftermath, local actors launched a political process to establish a new regional administration aligned with Somalia’s federal system. The federal government’s subsequent recognition of the northeastern administration integrated the region into Somalia’s federal structure — a move many analysts interpret as a strategic political signal.

Puntland has since maintained a strained relationship with the new administration, while Somaliland continues to assert its territorial claims and has sought to re-engage local communities in an effort to reassert influence.

President Mohamud‘s visit cannot be separated from these shifting regional dynamics. Israel’s recognition of Somaliland has created new political alignments and tensions across the Horn of Africa. Djibouti, which has been outspoken in its opposition to the move, sent a delegation of ministers and members of parliament to attend the inauguration alongside Somalia’s president — a gesture widely seen as a signal of Djibouti’s concern over the evolving regional order. More broadly, President Mohamud appears to be using the occasion to project federal authority and counter competing claims from Somaliland and Puntland, the latter of which has been locked in a prolonged political standoff with his administration.