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In resuming talks between Somalia and Somaliland after 11 years, the governments of Djibouti and Somalia’s president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and Somaliland’s president, Musa Bihi Abdi, are meeting today.
A team headed by President Bihi arrived in Djibouti to meet with the President of Somalia, according to a statement from the Somaliland Presidential Office.
“A delegation flew to the Republic of Djibouti on an official working visit, under the direction of HE. Muse Bihi Abdi, President of the Somaliland Republic”
According to a statement from the Somaliland Presidential Office, the goal of this official visit is to carry on the presidential-level negotiations between Somaliland and Somalia.
Dr. Saad Ali Shire – the Minister of Finance Development; Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Diriye (Toorno); Mr. Mohamed Kahin Ahmed – the Minister of Interior Affairs; Mr. Ahmed Adan Buxane, the Minister of Education and Science; and Mrs. Edna Adan Ismail – the Special Envoy of Somaliland overseeing the dialogue between Somaliland and Somaliland, will accompany him.
Minister of Information Daud Aweis stated in a statement that President Hassan’s visit is intended to “resume talks between the Federal Government of Somalia and Somalia and solve the conflict in the country.”
He said that the President is accompanied by his Envoy for the negotiations with Somaliland, Abdikarim Hussein Guled, the Minister of Interior of Somalia, Ahmed Mo’alim Fiqi, and the Minister of Commerce, Jabril Abdirashid. “The talks are being hosted by our sister country, Djibouti,” he said.
The presidents will talk over a wide variety of topics, including debt relief, the management of national projects, resource allocation, crises, and the recent Red Sea tensions, according to trustworthy sources.
This time, Somaliland will be discussed without SSC Khatumo present, and it is anticipated that the presidents would talk about peaceful resolutions to the disputes in the Sool area.
After winning reelection in May 2022, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud designated an ambassador to oversee Somaliland matters in order to continue resolving this long-running problem.
In contrast to other parts of Somalia, Somaliland has maintained peace and stability while working for international recognition for more than 30 years.
After Somaliland declared its independence, 11 years have passed since the initial talks between the Transitional Government of Somalia and Somaliland. It has now been 32 years since the fall of the Somali government in 1991.
Heritage Institute’s 2023 conference run from December 19-21 in the city of Djibouti. The theme for this year’s conference was “Fostering a Culture of Peace in the Horn.”
Recently, the 7th Heritage Institute gathering came to an end in Djibouti City, bringing together intellectuals from Somaliland, Djibouti, and Somalia as well as politicians from such countries. The politics, economy, security, stability, and cohabitation of Somalis were examined in those forum discussions.
Although the government of Somaliland did not formally attend the 7th Heritage conference, it appears that its representation was done by the opposition leaders in an indirect capacity.
However, it might be argued that this encounter between the two presidents was brewed during the just concluded annual Heritage conference. The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies appears to be keenly interested in the dialogue between Somalia and Somaliland.
There have been special sessions at Heritage conferences in the past to address the Somaliland problem.
Because of their close ties, it is challenging to verify Heritage’s independence from the Somali government. In addition, the general consensus is that the institution is a UN vehicle, fully financed and pursuing UN objectives. It suffices to have a reasonable doubt about its lack of independence given that the prime minister of Somalia was the conference’s keynote speaker.
However, if we examine this matter in the context of the ongoing Red Sea situation, one may argue that it is a ploy by Ismail Omer Geleh to demonstrate his power in the region over Somalia and Somaliland, which are close to the problem-ridden area – the Red Sea maritime route. Any meaningful input from those two nations on the unrest in the Red Sea must go via me.
How, when, and in what manner Somalia will swallow the bitter pill of Somaliland’s independence would be the sole verdict and the last call that the people of Somaliland would accept and anticipate hearing from any encounter with Somalia politicians.
