Moagadishu Somalia
The leader of Somaliland, Somalia’s semi-autonomous area, has urged the international world to accept his territory’s independence bid, claiming that talks with Somalia had failed.
Muse Bihi Abdi claimed that “Somalia has showed a complete lack of interest in genuine engagement” during the course of a decade of negotiations, prompting Somaliland to press ahead with its desire for international recognition as an independent country.
He remarked on Monday in Washington at an event organized by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative policy think organization, that “dialogue has failed to achieve its aims.”
The Heritage Foundation’s president, Kevin Roberts, believes the “US and Somaliland should be great allies.” In a region plagued by conflict and the danger of extremists, Somaliland provides the United States with a comparatively peaceful environment.
*Writing by Ahmed Wacane