BREAKING: Somalia, Somaliland Ink Deal in Djibouti to Resume Talks

GOOBJOOG NEWS|DJIBOUTI: Stalled talks between the Federal Government of Somalia and the break-away region of Somaliland will resume following an agreement reached into tonight in Djibouti.

A statement from the meeting mediated by Djibouti President Ismail Guelleh noted that the two sides will resume the talks which have been running since 2012 but failed to resolve the dispute over the territorial integrity of Somalia. Somaliland broke away from Somalia in May 1991 and declared independence following the collapse of the central government in Mogadishu. However, the region has not been internationally recognised.

The statement further noted that the two sides will develop a roadmap in 30 days and appoint a technical committee, which will set the groundwork for the talks. Further, the joint statement noted that the two sides will implement terms of previous agreements starting with the deal struck in April 2012 in Ankara followed by another one in June of the same year in London.

Other agreements were in Ankara (July 2013), Istanbul (January 2014), Djibouti (December 2014), Istanbul (March 2015), Ankara (April 2016) and Djibouti (June 2020). The last talks in 2020 failed to materialise after Somaliland insisted it could only participate in the talks as an independent county and on equal footing with the Federal Government. Similar issues have dogged previous talks.

The two sides led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Somaliland President Muse Bihi also agreed to cooperated in bolstering security and promoting peace. Additionally, they resolved to desist from any publications or remarks that may jeopardise the talks.