Somaliland Minister for foreign affairs, Mr. Yasin Mohamud Faraton arrived in Niamey, the capital of the republic of Niger yesterday where the Summit of African Union is due to open. The Somaliland delegation headed by the FM was greeted at Niamey International Airport. The Niger Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Ibrahim Yacoubou, and senior officials of the ministry of foreign affairs accorded warm reception to Somaliland delegates.
He was officially invited to attend the African Union summit which is to commence in Niamey. Somaliland is expected to table its recognition bid at the summit of African Union where Heads of States from Africa are about to participate. The SL FM was part of a high powered delegation headed by Somaliland president on state visit to Guinea which led to frail Villa Somalia officials to cut diplomatic ties with Guinea over Somaliland president’s visit. Somaliland unilaterally declared its independence from Somalia after the country plunged into chaos and anarchy in 1991 and became a hub for piracy and a safe haven to terrorist organizations the likes of Al Shabab which is Al Qaeda affiliated group in the Horn.
Somaliland’s case is grounded on the basis that Somaliland border is in line with that of the border demarcations made by the colonial powers which the African Union ratified in 1964. Somaliland once it gained its lost independence on 26th June, 1960, it merged with Italian Somalia on the 1st of July to form the greater republic of Somalia.
All of that hopes were dashed when Somaliland people became second citizen treatment and were subjected to brutal ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the late military leader, Mohamed Said Bare where thousands were killed without clear motive. Yesterday, Somalian FM, Ahmed Isse Awad told foreign envoys based in the war torn capital Mogadishu of Somalia that Somaliland is part of Somalia and won’t be treated as an independent state.
Somaliland has been peaceful since its inception where there is law and order, it has a flag, a territorial borders , a currency, presidential system of governance which is the only criteria for being a state.
