Laascaanood (PP News Desk) — Garaad Abdullahi Garaad Soofe, the most senior traditional leader of the Northeastern State of Somalia, today welcomed the prospect of formal talks and a prisoner exchange between the Somaliland administration and the Northeastern State of Somalia.
“Some people have spread baseless rumours that the Prime Minister of Somalia [Hamze Abdi Barre] is visiting Laascaanood to undermine the administration and secure the release of Somaliland administration detainees held in Laascaanood following the 2023 conflict. We, the elders, met the Prime Minister. We did not discuss detainees. We discussed broader issues. However, we state unequivocally that we are open to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, including an exchange of detainees, if that is what the Somaliland administration is committed to,” Garaad Soofe said.
Garaad Soofe criticised those who, out of political motives and dishonesty, portray discussion of a prisoner exchange as a betrayal of the unionist cause in the Northeastern State of Somalia.
“We have some disloyal people, including those who call themselves the opposition, who become irritated whenever the issue of detainees is raised. Do we not have detainees being held by the Somaliland administration? Do we not have people who suffered during the conflict? Some individuals spread misinformation whenever the need for peace is discussed,” he added.
The most senior traditional leader also outlined the conditions under which negotiations and a formal prisoner exchange could take place.
“If Somaliland Administration wants peace, we want peace. Both the Somaliland administration and the Northeastern State of Somalia are accountable to the Federal Government of Somalia, which provides funding to both administrations. Every ministry in the two administrations liaises directly with its respective federal ministry in Mogadishu,” Garaad Soofe said.
The Northeastern State of Somalia supports talks with the Somaliland administration under the mediation of the Federal Government of Somalia.
In 2023, the Somaliland administration falsely claimed that Laascaanood had become a hub for Al-Shabaab and subjected the city to seven months of shelling, causing deaths, widespread destruction, injuries and mass displacement. It later changed its position, arguing that any ceasefire in Laascaanood could take effect only if the United Nations Security Council endorsed a two-state solution for Somalia.
Earlier this week, during a ceremony in Laascaanood marking the first anniversary of the Northeastern State of Somalia, the Prime Minister of Somalia urged the new federal member state to initiate the release of detainees “however bitter such a decision could be.”
© Puntland Post, 2026