Somalia officially recognizes SSC-Khaatumo as federal member state

By Mohamed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - The Somali government announced Tuesday that it has officially recognized SSC-Khaatumo as a federal member state.

In a communique issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the government announced that SSC-Khatumo has been granted full state status and membership in the National Consultative Council, which is scheduled to hold a summit in May.

“We assert that the territories governed by the SSC-Khaatumo administration are integral to Somalia and should not be referred to as disputed areas,” the communique stated.

The government also urged non-governmental organizations, and international partners to operate within the region in the “same manner as they do in other areas of Somalia.”

The statement follows a historic visit by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre to Las Anod, the SSC-Khaatumo administrative capital, making him the first prime minister to do so in nearly 40 years.

Las Anod is a city in the northern region of Sool, 933 kilometers (579 miles) from the national capital of Mogadishu.

The office of Somalia’s Prime Minister has also confirmed the exchange of 25 “prisoners of war” captured during fighting between the unionists SSC-Khaatumo and the breakaway region of Somaliland August, 2023.

Las Anod has long been a flashpoint between unionist forces aligned with SSC-Khaatumo and separatist Somaliland forces.

The region saw months of intense fighting in 2023, which left hundreds dead or wounded.

The city is also historically significant as the site where former Somali President Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke was assassinated by one of his bodyguards during a visit in 1969.