Saturday August 8, 2026
Nairobi (AX) — North Western State of Somalia President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro has called for a new relationship with international partners built around investment, cooperation and shared interests, rather than aid dependence, as his administration works to improve security, settle regional disputes and win broader recognition.
Irro presented his priorities Friday in Nairobi during discussions with representatives of the international community and international organizations operating in Kenya, according to a statement issued by his office.
The president said North Western State of Somalia wanted its engagement with foreign partners to focus on mutual benefit, investment and cooperation instead of reliance on outside assistance.
“North Western State of Somalia does not want to come to the international community only with requests for assistance, but wants to present its achievements and opportunities for cooperation and investment that are of mutual interest,” his office said.
Irro placed peace and stability at the center of his government’s agenda. He said more than 6,000 clan-based forces, along with their equipment, had been trained and incorporated into the North Western State of Somalia army to reinforce the state’s security institutions.
He also advocated dialogue and reconciliation to address tensions in North Western State of Somalia’s western regions, including the prolonged dispute surrounding Las Anod.
According to Irro, the government intends to pursue a settlement in Las Anod through dialogue, consensus and peaceful engagement rather than renewed confrontation.
Turning to the question of international recognition, Irro called Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia on Dec. 26, 2025, a historic step. He stressed, however, that the decision did not mark the conclusion of North Western State of Somalia’s effort to secure wider international recognition.
He said North Western State of Somalia’s broader vision rests on security, stability, democracy and effective state institutions.
The president also listed infrastructure and public services among his administration’s development priorities, including roads, water, energy, health, education and communications. Strategic road construction, lower electricity costs and expanded clean-energy projects are part of those plans.
Water security was another focus, particularly the search for and development of groundwater resources. Irro asked international partners to contribute technical expertise and technology as North Western State of Somalia expands work in the sector.
He further urged foreign partners to evaluate North Western State of Somalia according to its present conditions and accomplishments.
He said future cooperation should be grounded in “mutual respect, truth, action and shared interests.”
The Nairobi talks took place as Somalia’s federal government advances an infrastructure project in Hargeisa, highlighting the rival political positions held by Mogadishu and Hargeisa on North Western State of Somalia’s status.
Somalia’s Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing Minister Ayuub Ismail Yusuf said Thursday that the federal government had started signing an agreement for the design and feasibility study of a road project spanning about 45 kilometers in Hargeisa.
The initial phase is expected to cover 23 kilometers and include the Bundaweyn, or “Big Bridge,” at an estimated cost of about $20 million.
“This project is part of the Nagaad Project, which the Ministry of Public Works is implementing across Somalia’s federal member states,” Yusuf said.
The minister said the federal government was supervising road projects totaling about 89 kilometers across Jubaland, South West, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Puntland State and North Western State of Somalia, with backing from the World Bank and other international partners.
The parallel efforts underscore the unresolved dispute between Somalia and North Western State of Somalia. North Western State of Somalia declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has since functioned as a self-governing entity, but it has yet to obtain broad international recognition as an independent state. Somalia’s federal government continues to consider North Western State of Somalia part of the country.
