SOMALILAND.COM – Somaliland has confirmed the meeting between the head of states of Somaliland and Somalia.
Somaliland’s foreign affairs minister said a delegation of Somaliland led by President Muse Bihi Abdi was in Ethiopia to spearhead efforts for Somaliland to get recognition from the Africa Union.
The government has confirmed that Somaliland has held talks with the head of states from a number of African countries at the summit.
According to Somaliland’s foreign affairs minister, there were no talks between the two head of states who are at loggerheads over Somaliland’s declaration of sovereignty over Somalia.
The minister did not clarify the outcome of the meeting in a press conference held at Hargeisa Airport upon the arrival of the delegation from Addis Ababa.
The minister refused to answer questions from members of the press who converged at the airport to hear Somaliland’s response over the secret meeting between President Muse Bihi and Mohammed Abdullahi Farmajo.
Ethiopia’s government has not commented publicly on the talks, which occurred on the sidelines of an African Union gathering.
Somaliland regained its independence from Somalia in 1991 as the country collapsed into warlord-led conflict, and it has seen little of the violence and extremist attacks that plagued Somalia. Despite lacking international recognition, Somaliland has maintained its own independent government, currency and security system.
Somalia considers Somaliland as part of its territory. Several rounds of past talks over the possible way forward have failed to reach a breakthrough.
This week’s meeting is the first since Somalia Federal President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi took office in 2017.
Officials from both sides have blamed each other over the failure of past talks, accusing them of failing to show seriousness. Somaliland leaders have dismissed the allegations and insisted that their sovereignty is nonnegotiable.
Since taking office in 2018, Ethiopia’s leader has worked to achieve a number of diplomatic breakthroughs in the long-turbulent Horn of Africa region.
By Hussein Jama
February 12, 2020
