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President Mohamud says Prime Minister Barre is seeking a solution to the Las Anod conflicts
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    Sunday April 13, 2025

    Las Anod (HOL) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre's landmark visit to Las Anod is part of an effort to ease tensions between Somaliland and the SSC-Khaatumo administration and to create an environment conducive to dialogue.

    In an interview with Turkish media on Saturday, President Mohamud emphasized that while the visit was framed as a national unity effort, it also had a clear diplomatic aim.

    "The Prime Minister is there to seek a solution," President Mohamud said. "Because the conflict has not yet been resolved—it is bitter, and both sides are still holding prisoners. So, the Prime Minister is working to create an environment for dialogue, because there are obstacles to launching serious negotiations."

    Prime Minister Barre's visit to Las Anod—the first by a sitting Somali premier in more than five decades—has drawn sharp condemnation from the Somaliland government, which considers the Sool region part of its territory. Somaliland's parliament and government officials have called the visit a violation of its sovereignty.

    SSC-Khaatumo, a grassroots administration reformed in early 2023 after local fighters expelled Somaliland forces from Las Anod, is now aligned with the Federal Government of Somalia and seeks recognition as a federal member state. The region remains contested, with a long-standing territorial dispute and hundreds of prisoners still held by both sides following last year's bloody conflict.

    Despite the ongoing tensions, Prime Minister Barre received a warm welcome in Las Anod on Saturday from SSC-Khaatumo leader Abdikadir Ahmed Aw-Ali, federal lawmakers, and hundreds of residents. The federal government described his visit as a milestone in national unity and an affirmation of Somalia's commitment to inclusive governance.

    During his stay, Barre is expected to meet with traditional elders, youth, women's groups, and civil society organizations. He will also launch federal government-funded infrastructure, education, and service delivery projects to rebuild the war-torn Sool region.

    Las Anod remains at the center of a volatile territorial dispute involving Somaliland, Puntland, and SSC-Khaatumo. The 2023 uprising, which followed the targeted killings of local elders and a violent crackdown by Somaliland forces, left more than 1,000 people dead and displaced over 150,000. SSC-Khaatumo now governs the city and much of the surrounding region and continues to push for formal integration into Somalia's federal system.

     





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