Somalia – Somaliland relations have gained traction on social media with the current buzz centering around a photo.
Top cabinet ministers of Somalia including the Foreign Affairs and Finance Ministers met and took a photo with a Somaliland delegation – led by its president Muse Bihi – in Saudi Arabia’s city of Mina.
The respective delegations were in Saudi in connection with the 2019 edition of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
For some people, the meeting was a good sign given ever rising tensions between Mogadishu and Hargeisa. Others slammed the Somaliland leaders who have in the past arrested citizens for taking photos with Somalia officials.
Others even posited that the photo was just that, a photo, and that noting will change in the rift between the two. Somaliland is a semi-autonomous part of Somalia.
The latest rift between the two came up when Mogadishu severed diplomatic relations with Guinea for according the Somaliland leader courtesies of a Head of State during an “official” visit.
Rashid Abdi@RAbdiCGThey met at the hajj. This is very good. Why not meet outside hajj?
President Bihi of Somaliland with FGS Foreign Minister Awad and Finance Minister Beyle.
Harun Maruf✔@HarunMaruf
Leaving all politics aside for a moment, Somalia foreign affairs minister @MinisterMOFA, finance @DrBeileh, Fishing A. Bildhan pose photo w/ Somaliland Pres @musebiihi, his interior minister Mohamed Kahin, housing Abdirashid Qambi among others – Mina, KSA. (Photo Ilyas O. Abukar)
Abukar Arman✔@Abukar_Arman
I hope this becomes the beginning of a new phase…. https://twitter.com/mukhtaryare/status/1161078689611812864 …
Mukhtar M. Ibrahim✔@mukhtaryare
Federal Government of Somalia ministers — foreign, finance — seemed happy to meet with Somaliland leaders, including its president, during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed Hirmoge✔@mhirmoge
This pic is just that, a pic. Of pilgrims who know each other and after pleasantries pose for a group photo. Nothing more, nothing less. It has no political connotation. It’s vanilla. Plain and simple. Nothing to analyze. Save your analysis for another occasion. #SomaliPilgrims
MogadishuImages@MogadishuImagesI bet the first thing Bihi said to Awad after the greetings must have been ” war maxaad nooga daba qaadatay dee markaanu Gini qabanay?”
idil ibrahim@idil_ibrahimLol, it’s good lessons for President Bihi to experience this, it is easy to get arrested by meeting someone 4m South, hope he’ll have different opinion 4m now on. And from Somaliland position taking pictures together isn’t going to change the political indifference already there!
Harun Maruf✔@HarunMaruf
Leaving all politics aside for a moment, Somalia foreign affairs minister @MinisterMOFA, finance @DrBeileh, Fishing A. Bildhan pose photo w/ Somaliland Pres @musebiihi, his interior minister Mohamed Kahin, housing Abdirashid Qambi among others – Mina, KSA. (Photo Ilyas O. Abukar)
Galaal@Se3raar
