By Mohammed Yasin Omar
The streets of Lasanod were alive with rare euphoria last week as Prime Minister Hamze Barre’s armored convoy weaved its way through the tense, bullet-scarred city. In a region long accustomed to isolation and political limbo, Barre’s visit was hailed as a historic breakthrough and the first by a high-ranking federal leader to this war dogged stretch of Somaliland.
For the thousands who gathered under the scorching sun, waving flags and chanting slogans, the Prime Minister’s arrival symbolized something more than mere diplomacy. For the self-declared SSC-Khatumo administration, the visit was seen as a long-awaited moment of federal acknowledgment, a gesture many believed would finally place Lasanod back on Mogadishu’s political map.
Yet the celebrations were short-lived. hours after the fanfare, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud delivered a statement that reshaped the entire narrative. Far from recognizing Lasanod’s new local authority, the primary purpose of Barre’s visit, he revealed, had been to encourage dialogue between Somaliland’s government and the Dhulbahante community in hopes of brokering a ceasefire and pushing both sides toward the negotiating table and the prompt and unconditional exchange of prisoners.
For the Lasanod administration and the crowds who had interpreted the Prime Minister’s visit as a diplomatic victory, the statement was a sobering moment. But for Somaliland’s newly elected President Abdirahman Abdullahi Irro, it was the confirmation of a carefully engineered strategy.
According to political observers, Irro, a veteran politician and former Speaker of Somaliland’s House of Representatives, had worked quietly behind the scenes well before Barre’s motorcade set out for Lasanod. The visit, many now believe, was not an unexpected overture by Mogadishu but part of a calculated diplomatic choreography that had Irro’s fingerprints all over it.
And once again, Sheriff Bojang Jnr long-held assessment of Irro’s political instincts has proven accurate. “Irro is [seen as] more conciliatory and diplomatic in his conduct of politics and opts to make decisions based on consensus” said Sheriff Bojang Jnr, an award-winning Gambian journalist “Known for his measured and inclusive leadership style, Irro’s tenure as Speaker showcased his ability to build consensus and navigate complex political landscapes.”
Irro, who took office after years in opposition, faces a complex balancing act. The simmering tensions in Lasanod, which has historically oscillated between Somaliland’s administrative control and demands for reunification with Somalia, pose a significant challenge to his presidency. But rather than respond to political provocations with force, as his predecessor Muse Bihi often did, President Irro has leaned on what close observers describe as the subtle art of quiet statecraft, a patient strategy rooted in dialogue, restraint and calculated diplomacy.
By allowing, or at least refraining from using force to disrupt the federal government’s visit to Lasanod under the guise of mediation, as many in the Somaliland opposition party did, Irro avoided international accusations of inflexibility while ensuring the core message of dialogue. The approach allowed Somaliland to preserve its political dignity while, at the same time, diffusing the immediate threat of external intervention.
“From the outside, it looked like the federal government was scoring a symbolic win,” said a diplomat familiar with the discussions, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. “But the real winner here was Irro, who let the event unfold in a way that served both his national and international agenda.”
The visit also highlighted the deep fractures that still plague Somalia’s political landscape. The SSC movement, which seeks to be recognized as an autonomous regional entity within Somalia, remains determined to separate itself from Somaliland’s influence. Yet the federal government’s emphasis on negotiation rather than recognition has exposed the limits of the SSC’s political leverage.
The Lasanod episode serves as another reminder of the region’s volatile reality, where appearances often obscure the deeper power plays at work. In the grand tradition of Somali politics, where allegiances shift with the wind and symbols matter as much as substance, President Irro’s handling of the Hamze Barre visit has only reaffirmed his reputation as a pragmatic and calculating leader.
As the dust settles over Lasanod and the echoes of celebration fade into memory, one reality remains clear. For all the fanfare and flag-waving, the true course of the region’s future is still being written, not in the streets, but in the quiet offices of leaders like Abdirahman Abdullahi Irro.
