Bihi praises appointment of Somaliland Affairs envoy as ‘step in the right direction’
Abdikarim Hussein Guled, the former leader of Galmudug state, has been appointed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the Special Envoy for Somaliland Affairs.
Appointment comes amid escalating tension between Somaliland forces and militias in Las Anod town keen to “rejoin” Somalia.
The breakaway Somaliland has welcomed the appointment of Abdikarim Hussein Guled, the former leader of Galmudug state, as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s Special Envoy for Somaliland Affairs.
“We see the appointment of the envoy as a step in the right direction,” Somaliland’s president Muse Bihi said on Sunday.
He hailed Guled as “a very adept politician”, in what signals the de facto state leader’s readiness to resume Somalia-Somaliland talks that have stalled in recent years.
Guled has previously served as Somalia’s former Minister of Interior and Federal Affairs. At the time, he also chaired talks between Somalia and authorities in Hargaysa.
His latest appointment came in a statement on Saturday by Villa Somalia amid the resumption of deadly clashes between Somaliland’s forces and pro-Somalia militias on the outskirts of Las Anod town.
On Friday, the US expressed alarm on the “democratic backsliding” and instability in the relatively stable enclave.
Feysal Ali Warabe, the leader of UCID, an opposition party in Somaliland, also welcomed Guled’s appointment.
“He is my friend and we have met in the past for Somalia-Somaliland talks,” he said on Sunday.
Guled has been swift to initiate consultative talks and has already met with Abdi Hashi, the Chairman of Somalia’s Upper House of the Parliament who also hails from Somaliland.
Meanwhile, the clan elders from the regions of Sool [where Las Anod is located], Sanaag and Cayn — all of which are claimed by Somaliland — who announced “rejoining” Somalia, have welcomed Guled’s appointment but said it does not concern their territories collectively knowns as SSC-Khaatumo.
In a statement on Sunday, the SSC-Khaatumo’s Consultative Council welcomed Mohamud’s “efforts to find a solution for the Somaliland issue” and wished Guled “luck on his mission”.
“However, we must clarify that SSC-Khaatumo is not and will never be part of Somaliland,” the statement read. “We are part and parcel of Somalia, and we believe the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia is sacrosanct.”
