Saturday August 8, 2026
Nairobi (HOL) — Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro has urged international partners to focus on investment and cooperation rather than aid, while outlining his government's plans to strengthen security, resolve regional conflicts and pursue international recognition.
Irro made the remarks Friday during a meeting in Nairobi with representatives of the international community and international organizations based in Kenya, according to a statement from his office.
newsinisdeThe president said Somaliland wants relationships with international partners based on shared interests, investment and cooperation rather than dependence on foreign assistance.
"Somaliland does not want to come to the international community only with requests for assistance, but wants to present its achievements and opportunities for cooperation and investment that are of mutual interest," his office said.
Irro identified peace and stability as the top priorities of his administration. He said more than 6,000 clan-based forces and their equipment have been trained and integrated into the Somaliland army as part of efforts to strengthen state security institutions.
He also called for dialogue and reconciliation to address conflicts in Somaliland's western regions, including the long-running dispute over Las Anod.
The president said his government wants to resolve the Las Anod issue through dialogue, consensus and peaceful means rather than further confrontation.
On international recognition, Irro described Israel's recognition of Somaliland on Dec. 26, 2025, as a historic development but said it was not the end of Somaliland's campaign for broader recognition.
He said Somaliland's vision is centered on security, stability, democracy and functioning state institutions.
Irro also outlined development priorities that include roads, water, energy, health, education and communications. He highlighted plans to build strategic roads, reduce electricity costs and expand clean energy projects.
Water security, particularly the exploration and development of groundwater resources, was another priority. Irro called on international partners to provide technical expertise and technology to support Somaliland's efforts in the sector.
He urged international partners to assess Somaliland based on its current circumstances and achievements.
He said cooperation should be built on "mutual respect, truth, action and shared interests."
The Nairobi meeting comes as Somalia's federal government moves ahead with an infrastructure project in Hargeisa, underscoring the competing political positions of Mogadishu and Hargeisa over Somaliland's status.
Somalia's Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing Minister Ayuub Ismail Yusuf said Thursday that the federal government had begun signing a design and feasibility study agreement for a road project covering about 45 kilometers in Hargeisa.
The first phase will cover 23 kilometers and include the Bundaweyn, or "Big Bridge," with an estimated investment of about $20 million.
"This project is part of the Nagaad Project, which the Ministry of Public Works is implementing across Somalia's federal member states," Yusuf said.
The minister said the federal government is overseeing projects covering about 89 kilometers of roads in Jubaland, South West, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Puntland and Somaliland, with support from the World Bank and other international partners.
The competing initiatives reflect the unresolved political dispute between Somalia and Somaliland. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has operated as a self-governing entity, but it has not secured broad international recognition as an independent state. Somalia's federal government continues to regard Somaliland as part of the country.
