Leaders of Somalia and Somaliland, a sovereign state and recognized internationally as de jure part of Somalia, have met in Djibouti to resume talks to resolve a dispute over Somaliland’s 1991 declaration of independence, Somali National News Agency (SONNA) reported on Thursday.
The delegation of Somalia is led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and includes Internal Affairs Minister Ahmed Ma’alin Fiqi, Commerce Minister Jibril Abdirashid and Abdikarim Hussein Guled, the special envoy for the talks, the report said. Somaliland's delegation is led by President Muse Bihi Abdi.
The talks, hosted by the Djiboutian government, will focus on security and economic issues and the political status of Somaliland, which has been a source of tension in their relations, the media cited the Somali presidency as saying in a statement, adding that the new round of talks aims to "restore trust and confidence" and "promote brotherly relations" between Somalia and Somaliland.
Somalia collapsed as a unified nation in 1991 with the downfall of the country's former President Siad Barre. The international community recognized the Mogadishu-based federal government as the only legitimate authority in Somalia, while the northern and the eastern parts of the country remain under the control of self-proclaimed and unrecognized Somaliland and Puntland.