Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre have travelled to Lasanod, the capital of the newly formed Northeast State of Somalia, in what officials describe as a landmark visit aimed at reinforcing federal authority and national unity.
With Friday’s trip, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud becomes the first sitting Somali president to visit Lasanod in decades, a city that has only recently emerged from years of conflict.
On his part, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre is making his second official trip to the city, timed with the inauguration of the Northeast State leadership.
The visit coincides with the inauguration of Abdikadir Ahmed Aw-Ali, known as Firdhiye, who was elected in August 2025 as the first president of Somalia’s Northeast State.
Lasanod will host the swearing-in ceremony and a series of consultations with traditional elders, civil society leaders and local officials.
Security tightened
Mahad Mohamed Salad, director general of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), and General Asad Osman Abdullahi, the Commander of the Somali Police Force were the first to arrive in Lasanod to coordinate security arrangements ahead of the visit by President Mohamud and PM Barre.
Units of the Somali National Army and police have been deployed across the city to provide security during the high-level visit.
Senior officials already present in Lasanod for Friday’s event include Minister of Defence Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, Minister of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation Ali Yusuf Ali, Minister of Internal Security Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail, Minister of Health Dr Ali Haji Adam Abubakar, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Mohamed Farah Nuh, and Minister of Commerce and Industry Gamal Mohamed Hassan.
Lasanod’s strategic importance
Also, in the Lasanod visit are Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Hassan Moallin Muhamoud Sheikhali, Minister of Ports and Marine Transport Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, Minister of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing Ayub Ismail Yusuf.
They are joined by senior military officers and lawmakers from both chambers of parliament, including a delegation led by the Second Deputy Speaker of the Upper House.
The rare visit by Somalia’s top federal political leaders comes amid heightened tensions in the Horn of Africa and diplomatic fallout from Israel’s recent recognition of Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland.
Mogadishu has slammed Tel Aviv, saying the unilateral recognition undermines sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity.
For Mogadishu, the arrival of the president and prime minister in Lasanod is being framed as both symbolic and strategic, a public assertion of federal authority.
