Prime Minister Hamza arrived in Las Anod onAugust 2, 2026 at the head of a high-level delegation dominated by cabinet ministers to attend celebrations marking the first anniversary of the self-declared North Eastern State (NES) administration. “Somaliland strongly condemns the provocative visit by the Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia to parts of the eastern Sool region,” the statement said. A Deepening Political DivideThe reaction underscores the widening gulf between Somaliland and Somalia’s Federal Government over the future of Las Anod and the wider Northeast region (Sool and Sanaag). For Somaliland, however, each visit by senior Somali officials is viewed as an attempt to consolidate federal authority in territory that Hargeisa continues to regard as part of Somaliland. Somalia’s Federal Government had not publicly responded to Somaliland’s statement thus far or its appeal to the international community.