Talks are welcome but forget unification-Somaliland lawmaker

Former Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Somaliland’s President Ahmed Siilaanyo during a meeting in Ankara, on April 13, 2013. File

A lawmaker from the break-away region of Somaliland has welcomed talks with the Federal Government but dismissed the idea of unification.

Ahmed Mohamed said Friday the talks between Somaliland and the Federal Government were important and necessary since it’s a dialogue ‘among Somalis’.

“Dialogue is very important because it’s a conversation among Somalis,” said Mohamed. “But we will not accept a unification under one flag again.”

Talks between the two sides have been scheduled to take place in Djibouti this year but the dates have not been fixed yet. Past attempts to reach meaningful decisions have not yielded fruit with the last one in 2013 held in Turkey collapsing midway.

Somaliland has indicated it does not want Turkey to be part of the upcoming talks. Somaliland which witnessed a transfer of power to the new President Muse Bihi late last year declared self-independence from Somalia in 1991 following the collapse of the central government in Mogadishu.