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The government of Somaliland has officially withdrawn from all talks with Somalia, following Somalia Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre’s unauthorized visit to Las Anod last week. The Council of Ministers, meeting in emergency session in Hargeisa today, condemned Barre’s April 12-15 visit as “a direct violation of international law and Somaliland’s territorial integrity.“
“Somalia has clearly departed from the path of peaceful coexistence and dialogue,” the statement declared, characterizing the Prime Minister’s visit as “political intimidation and conflict incitement that directly threatens stability in the Horn of Africa.”
After regaining its independence from the brutal Siad Barre dictatorship that massacred over 200,000 of its citizens and reduced its major cities to rubble, Somaliland withdrew from its union with Somalia in May 1991 — a decision that effectively reversed an unratified merger and restored Somaliland to its original status as a sovereign nation. Prior to voluntarily joining with Italian Somalia in 1960, Somaliland had existed as the independent State of Somaliland, recognized by 35 countries including permanent members of the UN Security Council.
The subsequent three decades have seen Somaliland build a functioning democratic state while Somalia collapsed into prolonged civil war and territorial fragmentation. This fundamental reality—two distinct nations with separate colonial histories that briefly attempted an ill-fated political union—has been deliberately obscured by Somalia in its diplomatic messaging, where it persistently mischaracterizes Somaliland as a “breakaway region” rather than a sovereign state that briefly joined and then withdrew from a failed political merger.
Today’s decision to withdraw from talks marks the culmination of what many observers have long considered a diplomatic charade. After more than a decade of intermittent and ultimately fruitless negotiations, Somaliland has concluded that Somalia has been using the dialogue process not as a path to resolution but as a tactic to forestall Somaliland’s international recognition.
“Somalia has strategically exploited these talks to blunt Somaliland’s quest for international recognition,” explained a senior diplomatic source speaking on condition of anonymity. “By presenting itself to the world as engaged in dialogue, Mogadishu has effectively convinced international partners to withhold recognition of Somaliland pending an ‘internal’ Somali resolution that Somalia has no intention of ever reaching.”
The architect of the original dialogue format during the Silanyo administration, Dr. Mohamed Abdillahi Omar, has been criticized for allowing a process that effectively reduced “Somaliland’s international standing from an aspiring sovereign state to essentially a federal member of Somalia” in international perception.
Barre’s visit to Las Anod represents the most flagrant violation yet in Somalia’s campaign to undermine Somaliland’s sovereignty. During his visit, Barre met with individuals Somalia refers to as the “SSC-Khatumo Administration,” a move that directly challenges Somaliland’s territorial claims. According to an official communique from the Prime Minister’s office, Barre conducted meetings with Abdiqadir Ahmed Aw-ali (Firdhiye) and various local leaders, framing his visit as an effort to promote “peace and national unity.” Somaliland authorities view this as a calculated political maneuver designed to legitimize an entity Somalia unilaterally recognized in October 2023 following military confrontations in the region.
A particularly contentious element of Barre’s visit involves prisoners transported to Mogadishu during his stay in Las Anood. Eyewitnesses reported these individuals being dressed in Somalia flag-branded tracksuits and paraded before media cameras as they were marched onto a plane bound for Mogadishu – a choreographed display clearly designed for political propaganda rather than humanitarian concerns.
Somaliland prisoners being transferred to Mogadishu from Las Anod at the request of the Somali Prime Minister following his visit to Las Anod, Sool.
The Council of Ministers’ statement explicitly rejects Somalia’s characterization of these individuals, stating: “The prisoners that Somalia’s Prime Minister took to Mogadishu are not prisoners of war. Somaliland views this action as an attempt to cover up the political failures facing Somalia’s government.”
The statement further clarifies that “no negotiations with Somalia have taken place regarding prisoner releases.” Instead, Somaliland has been engaged in proper diplomatic channels with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and several international partners including the United States, United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates regarding prisoner exchanges through internationally recognized protocols.
This unilateral action has created a significant diplomatic quandary for Mogadishu, which now finds itself in the untenable position of having to address the status of individuals effectively removed from Somaliland territory without any legal framework or international oversight.
Somalia’s provocative actions in Las Anod represent a marked escalation in its campaign against Somaliland’s sovereignty, coming in the wake of the January 2024 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Somaliland and Ethiopia. That historic agreement, which would have granted Ethiopia access to a naval base and sea access in exchange for potential recognition of Somaliland, triggered an immediate and hostile response from Mogadishu.
Since the announcement of the Ethiopia-Somaliland agreement, Somalia has systematically intensified its destabilization efforts across multiple fronts—diplomatic, economic, and now territorial. The prisoner transfer stunt exemplifies the increasingly theatrical nature of Somalia’s attempts to reassert authority over territory it has not effectively controlled in more than three decades.
“Somalia’s willingness to manipulate humanitarian issues for political theater demonstrates how threatened Mogadishu feels by Somaliland’s growing international engagement,” noted a regional analyst who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Despite withdrawing from talks with Somalia, Somaliland’s government reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to peace in the eastern Sool region. The statement references the comprehensive peace initiative announced during President Abdirahman Irro’s inauguration on December 12, 2024, declaring: “The government of Somaliland, based on its peace plan for Eastern Sool, had previously announced a peace initiative on December 12, 2024, when the President took office.”
The Council of Ministers emphasized that “Somaliland reaffirms that peace remains its top priority, while also emphasizing that the defense of Somaliland’s nationhood is non-negotiable.” This stance reflects Somaliland’s consistent governance approach throughout its three decades of restored independence: maintaining firm boundaries regarding sovereignty while pursuing peaceful resolutions to regional conflicts through dialogue and reconciliation.
Somaliland has issued a formal appeal to global partners to “urgently respond to Somalia’s violations in Eastern Sool” and to support efforts to restore peace to the region. The statement warns that “Somalia’s planned offensive against Somaliland endangers stability in the Horn of Africa and provides opportunities for extremist groups and terrorists, posing a significant threat to peace and development across the entire region.”
Given Somalia’s persistent inability to control substantial portions of its claimed territory and its ongoing struggle to contain the Al-Shabaab insurgency, the government’s provocative actions in Las Anod appear particularly reckless, potentially creating security vacuums that could be exploited by terrorist organizations that already operate with near impunity across large swaths of Somalia proper.
The Council of Ministers concluded with a definitive statement: “Due to Somalia’s continuous violations against the Republic of Somaliland and the principles of previous dialogues between the two countries, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Somaliland has decided to withdraw from the ongoing talks with Somalia, effective today, April 16, 2025.”
For the full government statement and ongoing coverage, follow the Somaliland Chronicle.
