Sool
Sool's Las Anod witnessed 2023 violence that spawned SSC-Khaatumo, the Dhulbahante homeland contested between Somaliland and Puntland claims.
Sool lies at the heart of contested territory between Somaliland and Puntland, the Dhulbahante clan's homeland where neither autonomous government has established uncontested control. Las Anod, the regional capital, witnessed violent conflict in 2023 that precipitated the SSC-Khaatumo state formation—local assertion against external claims.
The 2023 fighting demonstrated that Somaliland's three decades of relative peace could not extend to territories where clan loyalties aligned differently. The violence displaced populations and damaged infrastructure in a region that conflict avoidance, not resolution, had previously protected.
North Eastern State's 2025 formation, superseding SSC-Khaatumo, represents evolving attempts to create governance structures that accommodate local preferences within Somalia's federal framework. Whether this latest iteration provides stable administration—or whether Sool remains contested space between competing claims—tests whether Somali federalism can resolve rather than merely reframe territorial disputes.