Las Anod — Several senior foreign diplomats have arrived in Las Anod to attend the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected leadership of Somalia’s Northeastern Regional State, signaling strong regional and international support for Somalia’s ongoing political and state-building process.
Among those present are the Ambassador of Türkiye to Somalia, H.E. Alper Aktaş; the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, H.E. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Mawlid; and the Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan to Somalia, H.E. Abdulrahman Khalil Afandi. The diplomats are attending the inauguration of Abdikadir Ahmed Aw-Ali, widely known as Firdhiye, as president of the Northeastern Regional State.
Officials said the presence of foreign ambassadors and other international delegations reflects growing support for peace, stability and the consolidation of federal governance in northeastern Somalia, an area that has experienced prolonged conflict and political disputes.
In the same context, the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, received a high-level delegation from the Government of Djibouti at his residence in Las Anod. The Djiboutian delegation included the Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments, H.E. Mumin Hassan Barreh; the Minister of Communications, H.E. Ridwan Abdullahi Bahdon; the Djiboutian ambassador to Somalia; and other senior officials.
During the meeting, President Hassan Sheikh expressed the Somali government’s appreciation for Djibouti’s longstanding support, citing its historic role in backing Somalia’s independence, unity and peace-building efforts. Members of the Djiboutian delegation congratulated Somalia on its recent diplomatic efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and reaffirmed Djibouti’s firm support for Somalia’s territorial integrity.
The inauguration ceremony is also being attended by the Prime Minister of Somalia, Hamza Abdi Barre, alongside senior federal officials and additional diplomatic delegations. Observers say the broad participation underscores international backing for Somalia’s unity, federal system and continued state-building initiatives at a time of heightened regional attention.
