
Friday July 11, 2025

Las Anod — A high-level conference to finalize the newly
recognized SSC-Khaatumo administration, originally scheduled to open Thursday
in Las Anod, has been postponed until Saturday amid rising political tensions
between SSC-Khaatumo leadership and opposition candidates.
According to sources familiar with the situation, the
postponement followed a confrontation early Thursday morning when
opposition-aligned candidates reportedly deployed troops and military vehicles
to the hotel venue where the conference was set to begin. The incident
disrupted preparations and raised concerns about security, prompting organizers
to delay the event.
Traditional elders from the SSC-Khaatumo community are said
to have played a key role in the decision to postpone, seeking to defuse the
tension and create space for dialogue between rival factions.
The political standoff stems from growing frustration among
several presidential candidates, who held a press conference Wednesday to voice
their grievances. They accused interim SSC-Khaatumo President Abdikhadar Ahmed
Aw-Cali Firdhiye of manipulating the process and excluding legitimate clan
representatives, particularly from the Warsangeli community.
“This conference is not inclusive and does not reflect the
true representation of our communities,” said Mohamed Abdi Ismail Shiine, the
region’s current vice president and a presidential candidate. He alleged that
the conference had been hijacked to serve personal political ambitions.
In response to the unfolding situation, Somalia’s Minister
of Interior, Ali Yusuf Ali Hosh (Xoosh), who is leading the federal government
delegation to Las Anod, is expected to hold mediation talks with the
SSC-Khaatumo president and opposition candidates in a bid to resolve the
deadlock.
The conference is intended to transition the SSC-Khaatumo
administration from an interim authority to a fully functioning regional
government. The state was officially recognized as a federal member state by
the Somali Federal Government earlier this year, following months of armed
conflict with Somaliland forces and shifting political dynamics in northern
Somalia.