Latest news with #Somaliland
Zawya
5 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Somaliland Irro's Nairobi meetings span recognition, Horn issues
Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro on Monday met with Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga, at his Nairobi residence, in the latest push by the breakaway region seeking recognition of its independence. Mr Odinga issued a brief statement confirming that he and his wife, Ida, had received President Irro and his delegation. The visiting team included cabinet ministers and representatives from Somaliland's liaison office in Kenya. No further details were provided on the nature of the discussions.'I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the esteemed African statesman, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, for the gracious farewell dinner hosted in my honour and that of my delegation,' Mr Irro said.'Your unwavering support for Somaliland's aspiration to claim its rightful place among the community of nations is deeply appreciated. Your leadership and steadfast commitment to Africa's unity and development continue to inspire us all. Together, we remain dedicated to a future of peace, recognition, and shared prosperity.'Mr Odinga has previously voiced his support for the region and his family is said to have close contacts with some Somaliland politicians, including former president Muse Bihi. The two leaders also discussed the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape of the Horn of Africa, emphasising the importance of African-led solutions and inclusive development."This meeting reaffirmed the enduring friendship, mutual respect and shared democratic values that have long bound Somaliland and Kenya," said the Somaliland presidency.'He [President Irro] lauded Odinga's enduring commitment to justice, dignity, and the pursuit of self-determination, which has elevated Somaliland's profile on continental and global stages,' Igeh said. Irro: Somaliland is open to trade, innovation and dialogueA key power broker in East Africa, Odinga has never shied away from publicly backing Somaliland's sovereignty, often urging the African Union to confront the political reality in the Horn of Africa."The AU needs to accept that it will never again be possible to reunite these two countries and recognise them as one," he declared in 2020. 'Somaliland is a reality the world has to live with.'This visit came after the opening of a Somaliland liaison office in Nairobi last week, despite Kenya's previous reluctance. It turned out that Kenya was uncomfortable with the labelling of the office as a diplomatic mission. Eventually, Somaliland simply named it a mission office. Last week, President Irro held a private meeting with President William Ruto, reportedly discussing bilateral cooperation in education, peace and security, economic integration, and governance. Although Ruto's office has not issued a formal statement, the meeting signalled Kenya's support for Somaliland amid rising regional tensions. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
5 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Somaliland is open to trade, innovation and dialogue
The warm welcome I received in Nairobi this past week is a testament to the enduring spirit of African solidarity and the potential of regional partnership. My meeting with President William Ruto on May 29 was not only cordial and constructive, but a clear signal that Somaliland and Kenya are ready to deepen engagement on the basis of mutual respect, shared values, and a common vision for economic prosperity and security. The inauguration of Somaliland's expanded diplomatic mission in Nairobi marks a significant milestone in our bilateral relationship and our pursuit of international cooperation. Somaliland will continue to build bridges that reflect our readiness to contribute to peace, security, and economic development in the Horn of Africa. Somaliland's aspirations are grounded in a desire to be a responsible and reliable partner. We are not asking for favours, but offering partnership. A partnership based on mutual benefit, strategic interest, and the shared goal of a more stable and prosperous East Africa. With Kenya, this vision finds fertile ground. As one of Africa's most dynamic economies and democratic states, Kenya has long played a stabilising role in regional affairs. Our two nations share deep people-to-people ties, stemming from our historic legacies with the two countries share the same currency, banking, civil service and judicial systems for over half a century, and current growing commercial interests, and a strong convergence on key development priorities: inclusive economic growth, counterterrorism, and democratic governance. During my conversation with President Ruto, we reaffirmed our shared commitment to regional stability and explored new avenues for cooperation. From trade and infrastructure to security, there is ample room for collaboration. Somaliland is a stable partner to facilitate access to the Red Sea, enhancing maritime security, and strengthening commercial links across the Horn. We are investing heavily in the Port of Berbera, modernising our customs systems, and expanding road and telecom infrastructure. These are not just national projects; they are regional assets. Kenya's business community already understands this potential. I am excited to welcome a new air route directly between Nairobi and Hargeisa as one of the landmark issues to be agreed during my visit. Somaliland already receives a high number of Kenyan professionals every year and Kenyan enterprises are increasingly looking to Hargeisa as a destination for trade and investment. We want to build on this momentum. By establishing a formal diplomatic presence in Nairobi, we intend to streamline collaboration, facilitate business partnerships, and create new pathways for cultural and academic exchange. At the heart of this engagement is a simple proposition: Somaliland is open. Open to trade, to innovation, and to dialogue. Our message to the world is grounded in values: Democracy, security, opportunity. Somaliland has held successive peaceful elections, maintained one of the most secure environments in the Horn, and cultivated a pluralistic political culture that deserves to be part of the international conversation. Diaspora communities, students, entrepreneurs, and civil society actors are the lifeblood of regional integration. We believe in African solutions to African challenges, and this begins by strengthening our continental bonds. Somaliland's future will be shaped not just by our aspirations, but by our actions. We are working hard to create jobs for our youth, tackle climate vulnerabilities, reform our institutions, and modernise our economy. These are challenges Kenya also confronts, and we see opportunities to learn from each other, to co-invest in regional infrastructure, and to coordinate on key policy areas including energy transition, food security, and digital inclusion. In that spirit, I look forward to welcoming Kenyan delegations to Hargeisa in the months ahead. Our dialogue will be reciprocal, and our partnerships built on a foundation of trust and transparency. I also encourage regional think tanks, universities, and media to engage more deeply with Somaliland's story. We are more than a headline; we are a living example of resilience, innovation, and democratic promise in the Horn of Africa. To the people and Government of Kenya, I extend my sincere gratitude for your continued openness. In this time of regional flux and global uncertainty, let us reaffirm our shared purpose and invest in a future of African cooperation that delivers tangible results for our citizens. The work begins now. Together, Somaliland and Kenya can chart a path that not only serves our national interests but elevates the hopes of a region ready to rise. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Britain must stand ready to recognise Somaliland
Given that Somaliland is such a beacon of democracy in Africa, your article seems to be unduly negative about the prospect of its recognition, saying that this will 'infuriate' Somalia (Exclusive: Somaliland president says recognition of state 'on the horizon' following Trump talks, 30 May). The former British Somaliland was given its independence in 1960 and chose to join with the former Italian Somaliland to form Somalia, while the former French Somaliland wisely chose to sit it out as Djibouti. Its reward, during the rule of the dictator Siad Barre, was death and destruction in the 'hidden war', a period when many were resettled to Britain (particularly Cardiff, where the first Somalis had arrived in the 1850s) from refugee camps, mainly in Ethiopia. It is now 34 years since Somalilanders pushed back Barre's army and reasserted its independence. Since then, we have seen several peaceful transitions from one president and party to another following elections. In 2007, I led a UK parliamentary delegation, supported by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, to Somaliland and we also visited the African Union in Addis Ababa to ask why it had not yet recognised Somaliland. The answer was that an internal report recommending recognition was gathering dust because some of its members feared that recognition might encourage breakaway provinces in other countries. But Somaliland is not a breakaway province – it's a nation that reasserted its independence and has shown a capacity for building its own democratic institutions, pursuing peace and security, and fostering economic growth. In the same period that Somaliland has been a successful democracy, Somalia (the residual south) has been a failed state. Why should those who currently run Somalia not be told to focus on imitating the peace, democracy, cohesion and economic success of Somaliland, instead of being encouraged in a land grab? Understandably perhaps, Foreign Office officials are reluctant to recognise Somaliland before any nation in the region does so, but Britain should stand ready to come second with recognition. Or have we forgotten the enormous contribution made by soldiers from British Somaliland during the second world war and that of Somaliland's seamen since the middle of the 19th century, as well as the contribution that Somalilanders make nowadays in the UK?Alun MichaelMP for Cardiff South and Penarth (1987–2012); former chair, all-party parliamentary group for Somaliland and Somalia
The Guardian
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Exclusive: Somaliland president says recognition of state ‘on the horizon' following Trump talks
The new president of Somaliland says his state, which broke away from Somalia in 1991, is on the brink of securing international recognition – a development that would inflame tensions in the already tumultuous Horn of Africa. In an interview in the presidential palace in the capital, Hargeisa, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi tells the Guardian it is 'likely' that Somaliland will finally win acceptance of its right to self-determination, which has eluded the territory since it declared independence from Somalia 34 years ago. 'Recognition is on the horizon,' says the 69-year-old. Such a move would infuriate Somalia, which would view it as an attack on its sovereignty, unsettle regional powers in the strategic peninsula and fan broader concern that it sets a precedent for secessionist movements across the African continent. Despite its relative stability and regular democratic elections, Somaliland, a territory of about five million people, has yet to be recognised as independent by a single nation. 'It's a matter of time. Not if, but when and who will lead the recognition of Somaliland,' says Abdullahi. That goal, say Somaliland sources, has never been closer amid signs that the US president, Donald Trump, could be the first leader to recognise the self-declared republic in return for building a military base near the port of Berbera, a strategic location on the Gulf of Aden. Abdullahi revealed that US military officials, including the Horn of Africa's most senior officer, have recently visited Hargeisa. Another Washington delegation is expected to 'evaluate the asset [Berbera]'. A key US military base, Camp Lemonnier, is located in neighbouring Djibouti but concern is growing over Chinese influence there as Beijing continues to strengthen its ties with Africa. Project 2025, the alleged blueprint for the second Trump presidency, proposes the recognition of Somaliland as a 'hedge against the US's deteriorating position in Djibouti'. Where is it? Africa's easternmost point, the 2m sq km (770,000 sq miles) of the Horn of Africa peninsula takes in Somalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, Eritrea and the region's powerhouse, Ethiopia. Why is it considered volatile? It is one of the world's most unstable regions, riven by lengthy, interlinked conflicts. The Islamist militant group al-Shabaab is gaining ground in Somalia, while Ethiopia is recovering from a damaging war in Tigray with another rebellion brewing in its Amhara region and has fragile relations with Eritrea. The Republic of Somaliland is a de facto – unrecognised – but relatively stable state despite fraught relations with Somalia, which refuses to discuss its independence, seeing the breakaway state as a threat to Somali unity. Somaliland is also in a border dispute with Puntland, which declared itself an autonomous region of Somalia in 1998. Why is it strategically important? The Horn is hugely strategic. With historically close links to Arab nations, and positioned at the Red Sea's southern end, it borders the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean – overlooking global trade routes connecting Asia and Europe. This brings geopolitical tensions with China, the US, Russia and now Turkey, all vying for influence. What other pressures does the region face? The peninsula is susceptible to extreme rainfall patterns, exacerbated by the climate crisis. Ethiopia and Somalia have endured long droughts, which have triggered humanitarian emergencies. In April, US aircraft carriers off the coast of Somaliland played a part in US bombing raids on Yemen, responding to Houthi rebels' disruption of Red Sea shipping lanes. The US has yet to announce any formal arrangement with Somaliland, but Abdullahi said they were embedded in attempts to safeguard global maritime trade. 'We are a partner in security. We are a partner in counter-terrorism. We are a partner in safe marine routes for world trade,' says Abdullahi, who was sworn in as president five months ago. In that time, he says, the US ambassador to Somalia has visited him three times. The Trump administration is split over its approach to Somalia, which still considers Somaliland part of its territory. Recent gains by al- Shabaab Islamist militants have raised questions in the Trump administration over the worth of US counter-terrorism operations in Somalia. The withdrawal of US personnel and the closure of the US embassy in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, has been mooted.. Sources indicate that elements of the Trump team want to drop the US's longstanding 'one Somalia' policy. Ditching support for Somalia's weak central government would pave the way to officially recognise Somaliland. 'The US and maybe other international partners will [soon] have to recalculate their policies regarding Somalia,' says Abdullahi. The former defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, a prominent advocate for recognition of the ex-British protectorate, believes a recalculation is very much under way. Williamson, speaking to the Guardian earlier this month, said US officials had assured him that recognition for Somaliland would happen. 'I was talking to a few people this week and the thing I was getting from them is that it [recognition] is getting there. They've already started shifting away from the one Somalia policy.' Williamson, like Abdullahi, believes recognition will happen by 2028 at the latest. He adds: 'Before President Trump's term ends, the US will have recognised Somaliland. My hope is that within a year we will have the first country within the United Nations to have recognised Somaliland.' Bashe Omar, former representative of Somaliland to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), says US officials he met recently in Abu Dhabi were 'frustrated' at the one-Somalia policy. 'What we are hearing, behind the scenes, is encouraging us. The US is moving in the right direction.' Also waiting in the wings is the UAE, one of Trump's closer allies, which has invested more than $442m to modernise Berbera's port and a highway linking it to Ethiopia, a landlocked country that desperately wants maritime access. Sign up to Global Dispatch Get a different world view with a roundup of the best news, features and pictures, curated by our global development team after newsletter promotion Ethiopia's desire for access to the sea remains a key geopolitical theme of the region, prompting a bitter diplomatic dispute last year after the signing of a deal with Somaliland to build a port. The deal was reportedly made on the condition that Addis Ababa would recognise Somaliland. The development enraged Somalia, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict with Egypt backing Somalia largely over its anger with Ethiopia for building a dam on the Nile. Officially, the US state department continues to assert that it 'recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity' of Somalia. A statement added that it was 'not in discussions' with Somaliland to recognise it as a state. Another factor remains, however farfetched it might seem, that could yet prove significant: the proposed resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza to the African breakaway state. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, recently suggested that operations in Gaza would not end until the forced displacement of all its Palestinians had taken place. Trump has talked of the US relocating Gaza's population to allow the strip to be remodelled into the 'Riviera of the Middle East'. Aidrous Osman Hussain, deputy director of Somaliland's refugee department, says Palestinians have considered Somaliland a destination since the second intifada. 'Palestinians have been moving here for a long time, since 2004, 2005. Somaliland welcomes all refugees.' Currently there are 12 Palestinian families, but officials say they are happy for the numbers to grow. 'The people of Somaliland, the community of Hargeisa, wants to help refugees,' says Hussain. Almost 23,000 refugees of different nationalities have moved to Somaliland with 2,875 arriving last year. More than 300 Sudanese families have arrived there since its brutal civil war began and Somaliland's population of Syrians, who left during the civil war, numbers about 2,000 people. One Syrian family, who fled fierce fighting Damascus in 2023, describes Hargeisa as perfect for Muslims; Syrian restaurants, supermarkets and dentists are dotted throughout the capital. As he verified his family's paperwork at the refugee processing facility in the Sha'ab area of Hargeisa, Hassan says: 'Somalilanders are Muslim; here it is safe for us and our family.' Hassan, who did not want to share his surname, adds: 'The most important thing that mattered to me was security. Here, it's a very open community and we integrate well.' Yet to help further, Somaliland needs international recognition to access more help from the wider community. Hussain adds: 'If Somaliland gets recognition, we can help share the burden; we can help more people. Abdullahi, flanked by nodding advisers, says the US is yet to officially float the prospect of resettling people from Gaza. 'We are a hospitable people. They, the Palestinians, are our brothers. If they decide to come on their own, we don't mind. 'But there is no discussion on that issue with the Palestinians or with any other country.'
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Sheffields names first black, hijab-wearing Lord Mayor
The new Lord Mayor of Sheffield has made history as the first black woman wearing a hijab to be appointed to the Safiya Saeed was inaugurated as the city's 128th Lord Mayor at a council meeting on of her family travelled from her home country of Somaliland for the ceremony at Sheffield Town said: "I am honoured to be the first black woman wearing a hijab to take this role. I came to Sheffield in 1985, and this city has truly become my home, a place where I have always felt I belong." The single mother-of-five, who was first elected as councillor for Burngreave in 2021, founded Reach Up Youth, a community project supporting young people, particularly those from Black and ethnic minority her speech to the meeting she said she wanted "every voice, no matter how quiet, to feel heard in the heart of this city".The role of Lord Mayor is purely ceremonial, they do not have any powers but act as an ambassador for the city. Meanwhile, politicians have also been selecting a new leader and two new party 36 Labour councillors, 28 Liberal Democrats, 14 Green, five Sheffield Community Councillors and one independent the council is in no overall with the most councillors Labour's Tom Hunt was re-elected as council Shaffaq Mohammed stood down from the role , Martin Smith has been named as leader of the Liberal Democrats. Mohammed, who was nominated for a life peerage in the House of Lords in 2024, will remain as a councillor fo the Green Party, Angela Argenzio replaced Douglas Johnson as leader, with Johnson stepping back after six years at the helm. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
