Sool
Region
Country

Somaliland (partial control up to Oog)

Somalia (mostly controlled)

Administrative centreLas Anod
Governor (disputed)Osman Fiidyow[1][2]
Area total39240 km²
Population as of2019[3]
Population total618,600
Time zoneEAT (UTC+3)
Iso codeSO-SO[4]
HDI (2021)0.338[5]
low · 8th of 18

Sool (Somali: Sool, Arabic: صول) is a administrative region (gobol).[6][7][8] It borders Togdheer to the west, Sanaag to the north, Ethiopia to the south, and Nugal and Bari to the east. Its capital city is Las Anod. The region is disputed by the self-declared Republic of Somaliland and the North Eastern State (SSC-Khatumo), where the North Eastern State controls the majority up to the city of Guumays[9], Oog where the Aynabo district starts and is governed by Somaliland.[10] Puntland also claims the region, but has not demonstrated their supposed control.[11]

History

From 1944 to 1974, the Sool region was formerly Las Anod district. It was one of three districts under British protection. The other two districts were the Burao and Hargeysa districts.[12]

In 1974 most Sool was part of the larger Nugaal region, with its capital at Garowe. It was established as a separate region in 1984 with its capital at Las Anod.[13]

Main article: Somaliland-Puntland dispute

Las Anod conflict

Main article: Las Anod conflict (2023)

Due to the prolonged conflict between Somaliland and Puntland, many Dhulbahante and Warsangeli living in the region did not recognize the Sool region and eastern Sanaag, as either Somaliland or Puntland.[14] On 5 January 2023, Somaliland forces withdrew from Las Anod after mass civil unrest in the city.[15] On October 19, the government of Somalia recognized the state of SSC-Khaatumo as a federal member.[16] Since the defeat of Somaliland troops in the base in Goojacde, much of Sool has been under the control of SSC-Khatumo.[10][17]

Demographics

The Eastern part of the Sool region is almost exclusively inhabited by Dhulbahante.[18][19][20][21] Michael Walls reports:

"The residents of Sool overwhelmingly hail from a single clan grouping in the form of the Dhulbahante [...]. Sool boasts a degree of kinship homogeneity that is rare even in the Somali Horn".[22]
The Habr Je'lo clan of the Isaaq clan-family make up the vast majority of the population in western Sool, including the region's second largest town Aynaba,[23] as well as the wider Aynaba District.[24]

The Habr Yunis sub-division of the Garhajis Isaaq also inhabit the western parts of Hudun and Las Anod districts in northern Sool.[25]

The Dhulbahante sub-division of the Harti Darod clan primarily inhabits the Taleh, eastern Hudun and Las Anod districts in eastern Sool.[26][27][28] The Fiqishini sub-clan of the Habar Gidir Hawiye[29] integrated into Baho Nugaaled Dhulbahante,[30] inhabit the area around Adhi'adeye as well as fiqishini.[31][32]

Districts

The Sool region consists of 4 districts: Caynabo, Xudun, Taleex and Laas Canood.[33]

Villages

See also

References

  1. ^ "Sool Governor Abdikarim Adan Haji Diriye in yagoori conference.". 28 January 2022. Archived 12 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Gudomiyaha Gobalka sool Abdikarin Haji Diiriye koormeray taliska sool.". 24 February 2022. Archived 12 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Somalia: Subdivision and cities". www.citypopulation.de. Archived 25 April 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  4. ^ "ISO 3166 — Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions". International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  5. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Archived 23 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  6. ^ "Catching up on human rights needs in Sool and Sanaag after four years". June 22, 2022. Archived 30 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  7. ^ "Detailed Site Assessment (DSA): Sool region, Somaliland (March 2022)". reliefweb.int. 2022-04-20. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  8. ^ "European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) Sool". Archived 25 December 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Federal Government of Somalia deploys troops from Sool frontlines" [Federal Government of Somalia deploys troops from Sool frontlines]. Hiiraan Online. January 14, 2026. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
  10. ^ "On the Horizon: October 2023-March 2024 Crisis Group". www.crisisgroup.org. 2023-10-18. Archived 19 January 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  11. ^ "Puntland rejects SSC-Khaatumo administration, citing legal grounds". www.hiiraan.com. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  12. ^ "Development map, roads, 1944". Library of Congress. Archived 12 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
  13. ^ "Somalia (1988)". CIA. December 1988. Archived 1 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 February 2007.
  14. ^ Ahmed M. Musa (2021). "Lasanod: City at the margins". p. 14. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  15. ^ "February Alerts and January Trends 2023". www.crisisgroup.org. 2023-01-31. Archived 19 January 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  16. ^ Shino, Abdirisaq (19 October 2023). "Somali Federal Government Recognizes New SSC-Khatumo Administration". Horseed Media. Archived 29 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  17. ^ "Somalia: SSC Forces Capture Somaliland's Goojacade military Base". Horseed Media. 25 August 2023. Archived 26 August 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  18. ^ "The political development of Somaliland and its conflict with Puntland". Institute for Security Studies. Archived 20 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  19. ^ Hohne, Markus V. (2006). "Political identity, emerging state structures and conflict in northern Somalia". Journal of Modern African Studies. 44 (3): 405. doi:10.1017/S0022278X06001820. S2CID 54173895
  20. ^ "Somaliland vs. Puntland over the future of Somalia". Horn of Africa Bulletin. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  21. ^ International Crisis Group. "Somaliland: The Strains of Success". p. 4. Archived 12 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  22. ^ Walls, Michael. "Sool Region: sovereign ambiguity vs a geopolitical system of nation-states?". Africa Research Institute. Archived 12 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  23. ^ Renders, Marleen (2012). Consider Somaliland : state-building with traditional leaders and institutions. Leiden: BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-22254-0. OCLC 775301944 Eastern Sanaag and Sool had not been Egal’s priority. The president did not strictly need these regions to be under his military control in order to preserve and consolidate his position politically or in terms of resources.
  24. ^ "EASO Country of Origin Information Report - Somalia Security Situation". February 2016. Archived 11 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  25. ^ "EASO Country of Origin Information: Report Somalia Security Situation". European Asylum Support Office. February 2016. Archived 9 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  26. ^ Walls, Michael. "Sool Region: sovereign ambiguity vs a geopolitical system of nation-states?". Africa Research Institute. Archived 12 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  27. ^ "Somaliland vs. Puntland over the future of Somalia". Horn of Africa Bulletin. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  28. ^ "The political development of Somaliland and its conflict with Puntland". Institute for Security Studies. Archived 20 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  29. ^ Höhne, Markus Virgil (2015). Between Somaliland and Puntland : marginalization, militarization and conflicting political vision. London. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-907431-13-5. OCLC 976483444
  30. ^ Political Orientations and Repertoires of Identification: State and Identity Formation in Northern Somalia, 2011, Markus Hoehne, p. 285, "Schlee (1994 [1989]: 223) confirmed that... Fiqishiini ’."
  31. ^ "Waqtiga Celeema saarka Sultaanka Beesha FIQISHINI oo la shaaciyey.". halgan.net. 2016-05-11. Archived 12 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  32. ^ "Qaban-Qaabada Suldaanka Beesha Fiqishini Oo Laga Dareemayo Degmada Laascaanood Iyo Wufuud Kusii Qulqulaysa Adhicadeeye". laascaanood.com. 2016-05-17. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  33. ^ "Sool Region". Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 December 2013.