Somaliland has objected to a senior UN delegation’s visit to Las Anod, calling for prior consultation and coordination with authorities in Hargeisa over visits to politically sensitive areas.
HARGEISA, Somalia (Somali Report) — Somaliland has objected to a visit by a senior United Nations delegation to the disputed city of Las Anod, saying trips by senior UN officials to politically sensitive areas should be coordinated in advance with authorities in Hargeisa.
In a statement, Somaliland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had been informed of the UN delegation’s visit but had not been given details about who was leading the mission or its official purpose. The ministry said Somaliland remained committed to facilitating humanitarian assistance for all people in need, including residents of Las Anod, whom it described as “our people.”
But Somaliland insisted that visits by senior UN officials to areas it considers politically and security-sensitive should follow established diplomatic procedures, including prior notification, consultation and coordination with the authorities in Hargeisa. It said it valued its longstanding cooperation with the United Nations and remained committed to maintaining an effective relationship, while urging the world body to respect established communication channels.
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The dispute comes as Las Anod remains under the control of Somalia’s newly established North East State, while Somaliland continues to claim the city and large parts of the Sool and Sanaag regions. Tensions over Las Anod erupted in late 2022 and early 2023 after protests and violence following a series of killings escalated into fighting between Somaliland forces and local forces aligned with the SSC-Khatumo movement, now the Northeastern State. The conflict killed hundreds of people and displaced large numbers of civilians, according to humanitarian and local sources.
Somaliland forces withdrew from Las Anod in August 2023 after heavy fighting, leaving the city under the control of local authorities that later formed the North East State. In 2025, a conference in Las Anod formally advanced the establishment of the regional administration, which Somalia’s federal government subsequently recognized as a federal member state. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited Las Anod in January 2026 and attended the inauguration of North East State President Abdulkadir Ahmed Aw-Ali Firdhiye, further underscoring Mogadishu’s position that the territory falls within Somalia’s federal system.
The latest dispute comes amid a shifting diplomatic landscape for Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not secured broad international recognition. Israel became the first UN member state to formally recognize Somaliland in December 2025, a move strongly rejected by Somalia and criticized by the African Union and other regional actors, which have continued to affirm Somalia’s territorial integrity. Somaliland’s latest statement underscores the continuing sensitivity surrounding international engagement in Las Anod and the wider dispute over the status of the territory.
About the Author
Ahmed Omar is a senior journalist for Somali Report, based in Mogadishu. He has two decades of experience reporting on Somalia for international and local media. He covers politics, security, governance, business, trade, economic developments and regional affairs.
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