Somaliland rejects unification talks with Somalia
The breakaway region of Somaliland has said it has no plans to discuss unification with Somalia, rejecting an offer by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to mediate talks.
Museveni made the offer after meeting with Jama Musse Jama, the special envoy for Somaliland, on Saturday.
In a statement on his X page, Museveni said that Uganda does not support Somaliland’s secession from Somalia because it is “strategically wrong.” He urged Somaliland and Somalia to embrace “politics of interest rather than politics of identity.”
Somaliland responded to the offer in a statement late on Sunday, saying that any dialogue between the two countries would not discuss unification, but rather how they can move forward separately.
Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not achieved broad international recognition
Since the start of this year, conflict has erupted in the Sool region, which is claimed by both Somaliland and Puntland. This conflict involves clan militias opposing Somaliland’s secession and advocating for continued inclusion within Somalia.
The conflict has claimed hundreds of lives, mostly civilians, and has resulted in Somaliland forces being defeated in the regional capital, Las Anod.
