LAS ANOD, Somalia – Somalia’s federal government on Sunday declared the “successful finalization” of the state-formation process for the North-East State, formally recognizing it as the country’s newest Federal Member State. The announcement came just a day after the region elected its first president in the war-scarred city of Las Anod.
The decision marks a major shift on the Horn of Africa’s volatile political map. It crowns a year-long, bloody struggle by local clans to break away from the self-declared republic of Somaliland and firmly realign with a unified Somalia.
In a statement, the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs, and Reconciliation in Mogadishu announced that the process had been successfully completed, adding that the new entity is now “a member of the officially recognized Federal Member States of the Federal Government of Somalia.”
The move represents a political victory for President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, while delivering a severe blow to Somaliland’s three-decade campaign for international recognition and sovereignty.
A state forged in conflict
The new administration governing the historically contested regions of Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn (SSC) was born out of a conflict that erupted in late 2022.
For decades, Somaliland — which unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has never been internationally recognized — laid claim to the territory. Puntland, another Federal Member State, has also staked historic claims.
The standoff escalated in February 2023, when elders from the Dhulbahante clan declared their intent to form a state loyal to Mogadishu. That decision triggered fierce fighting between Somaliland’s army and newly organized local militias known as SSC-Khaatumo.
The battles left Las Anod devastated. Tens of thousands were displaced, and according to the United Nations, indiscriminate shelling killed hundreds of civilians. By August 2023, local forces had driven Somaliland’s troops from the entire Sool region.
Mogadishu quickly embraced the momentum. Officials highlighted that the federal interior minister personally spent 53 days in Las Anod to “oversee, facilitate and witness this milestone.”
On Saturday, lawmakers elected Abdiqadir Ahmed Aw-Ali, better known as Firdhiye, as the state’s first president. Firdhiye had previously led the interim administration set up during the conflict.
A blow to Somaliland
For Somaliland, the loss of this strategic region is a major setback. It reduces the area under its control and undercuts its argument for independence based on the borders of the former British Somaliland protectorate.
The development adds new uncertainty to a region already unsettled by Somaliland’s controversial port access deal with Ethiopia, which Mogadishu has denounced as an act of aggression earlier this year.
According to the government, the statehood process was legitimized during a July 2025 Delegate Conference. The gathering brought together 432 representatives — including elders, religious scholars, business leaders, women, youth, intellectuals, politicians, and members of the diaspora.
The conference adopted a state constitution on July 30, which paved the way for the election of an 83-member parliament on August 17. That process culminated in Saturday’s presidential vote.
In its statement, the ministry congratulated President Firdhiye and his administration, and pledged Mogadishu’s “unwavering commitment… to work closely with the new state in the spirit of unity, cooperation, reconciliation and federalism.”
Despite the political breakthrough, President Firdhiye faces enormous challenges: rebuilding a shattered city, securing a fragile region, and building state institutions from the ground up.