President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Irro) drew a huge, flag-waving crowd on the outskirts of Qoyta District on Wednesday, the latest stop on his working tour of Somaliland’s eastern regions. Residents lined the road into Burco for hours to greet the presidential motorcade; Irro stepped out repeatedly to shake hands before heading to the city center, where supporters packed the streets outside the Burco Presidential Palace.
Thanking locals for what he called Burco’s “historic tradition” of welcoming national leaders, Irro used the moment to frame his young administration’s agenda. He said the “Wadajir iyo Waxqabad” (Unity and Action) government is prioritizing national cohesion, public safety, and the rule of law, and pointed to recent security gains in the east. According to Irro, authorities have brought “more than 6,000 people and their weapons” under state control—an effort he said proceeded without outside assistance.
The president also drew a line on political pageantry: in a formal directive, he ordered regional governors, education officials, and school principals to stop the practice of bringing students to greet visiting dignitaries. Public service, he said, should not come at the expense of classroom time.
Irro later met with the Togdheer regional leadership, including the governor and the mayor of Burco, for a briefing on local needs. The discussion focused on security, accelerating basic services, and moving development projects from planning to delivery, with an emphasis on tighter coordination between regional offices and national ministries. After hearing a detailed needs assessment for Burco and surrounding districts, Irro pledged continued support and urged administrators to deepen community consultations to keep the region stable and growing.
