Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre arrived in Las Anod on Sunday for his third visit to the administrative capital of the Northeastern State, where he is scheduled to hold meetings with regional officials and officially inaugurate Somali National Army facilities in the city.
Security in Las Anod has been significantly heightened ahead of the Prime Minister’s arrival. Prime Ministerial security personnel visited the city yesterday and assumed responsibility for safeguarding the areas the premier is expected to visit. The Northeastern State’s security authorities have issued directives strengthening safety measures, including the temporary suspension of traffic in certain parts of the city.
The Prime Minister’s delegation includes senior government officials, and he was received at the airport by Northeastern State President Abdiqadir Ahmed Aw-Ali (Firdhiye) and community representatives. During his stay, Barre will hold consultations on Somalia’s state-building process and the strengthening of national unity with leaders, intellectuals, and different sections of society.
This visit follows President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s recent declaration at the Northeastern State inauguration ceremony, where he proclaimed: “Las Anod is the capital of the unity of the country. From today, the Northeast will receive everything like other regions”.
Regional analysts say the federal leadership’s repeated presence in Las Anod sends a strong political message, reinforcing Mogadishu’s support for the new regional administration and signaling the federal government’s intent to assert its authority and unity at a time of shifting regional alignments.
The Prime Minister is also expected to cut the ribbon on Somali National Army facilities in the city, marking a tangible federal security footprint in a region long contested by Somaliland and Puntland. Barre’s visit represents a historic milestone, as he is the first sitting Somali prime minister to visit Las Anod in more than four decades.
