HARGEISA (SD)– The Somaliland government has deployed troops it has trained to the Sool region, at a time when the highest leadership of the Federal Government of Somalia is present in that region.

As reported by Somaliland National Television, these forces number over six thousand and have been sent to the Sool region after completing training.

This deployment coincides with the presence of the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, in the city of Las Anod, the capital of the Sool region, where he is attending the inauguration ceremony of the Las Anod leadership.

It also comes as the President of Somaliland, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Cirro), stated that the visit of the Federal Government of Somalia’s leadership to Las Anod is “a blatant provocation and naked interference for which a tree cannot be held responsible.”

The President of Somaliland has informed the international community that the steps being taken by the Somali government will impact the peace and stability of the Horn of Africa.

The deployment of over 6,000 trained troops by Somaliland to Sool is a massive escalation that moves the dispute from political posturing to the brink of armed conflict. This is no longer a symbolic deployment; it is a battlefield-ready force positioned in a contested region where the Somali President is physically present. This creates an incredibly volatile and dangerous standoff.

Somaliland’s statement frames any resulting conflict as a consequence of Somali aggression and interference, assigning blame to Mogadishu. This puts pressure on international actors (UN, AU, US, UK) who have called for dialogue to now urgently intervene to de-escalate before shots are fired. Their credibility is on the line.

The next 48-72 hours are critical. The presence of the Somali President on the ground makes de-escalation complex but also perhaps more urgent for all sides. The world is now witnessing a slow-motion countdown to a potential war, where the spark could be a single, stray bullet in Las Anod. Immediate, high-level international mediation is no longer an option but an imperative to prevent a catastrophic regional conflict.