Somalia's President Mohamud visits provincial capital claimed by Somaliland

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was in Somalia’s Las Anod on Friday, the first visit by a head of state in more than 40 years.

The trip comes amid growing tensions between Mogadishu and the breakaway region of Somaliland that claims Las Anod, the provincial capital of Sool, as its own.

In 2007, Somaliland took control of Las Anod but was forced to withdraw in 2023 after deadly clashes with Somali forces and pro-Mogadishu militias.

"Today I state that North Eastern Administration is formally recognised as an official federal member state of Federal Republic of Somalia,” President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said during an address in Las Anod.

Northeast State includes Sool, Sanaag and Cayn, all of which Somaliland claims are integral to its borders.

"We tell the President that we are standing with him in defending and protecting the unity and solidarity of Somali communities and their territories,” Abdikhadir Ahmed Aw-Ali, the newly-elected leader of Northeast State, told the audience in Las Anod.

The renewed diplomatic push comes after Israel officially recognized Somaliland, drawing strong opposition from Mogadishu and the international community.