Foreign Envoys Land in Las Anod in Confidence-Building Signal for Somalia’s Unity

GOOBJOOG NEWS| LAS ANOD: The arrival of foreign ambassadors in Las Anod ahead of the North East State inauguration is being viewed as a confidence-building signal for Somalia’s unity, as Mogadishu works to consolidate federal authority in a city long caught in competing claims.

Diplomatic delegations from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Sudan travelled to Las Anod on Saturday, to attend events linked to the inauguration of the North East State leadership, according to multiple reports.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud also received a high-level Djiboutian delegation in Las Anod ahead of the ceremony, describing the visit as support for Somalia’s unity and the region’s state-building process.

The inauguration comes months after the political process that established the North East State. Delegates in Las Anod declared the formation of the administration during the SSC-Khaatumo conference in late July 2025, and the state later elected Abdulkadir Ahmed Aw-Ali (Firdhiye) as president on August 30, 2025, according to Somali media and international reporting.

Analysts and local observers say the presence of diplomats and regional delegations in Las Anod carries symbolic weight because it places visible international engagement inside the framework of Somalia’s federal state-building, at a time when the status of the northern regions remains politically sensitive.