Wednesday November 24, 2021
HARGEISA (HOL) - A senior politician in Somaliland has said continued talks with Somalia undermined the break-away region’s quest for statehood and urged President Muse Bihi to announce an end to future talks.
UCID party leader Feisal Warabe said talks with Somalia sent a wrong signal to the international community that Somaliland was pursuing unity noting his party had suspended participation in future with Somaliland. Warabe is a member of the Somalia-Somaliland dialogue team.
“This (talks) have caused the countries that would recognize us to back down. If the president does not agree with this decision, we will present it to the parliament," Faisal said.
Warabe said his party had decided not to participate in future talks noting ‘these talks have cost us dearly.’
The UCID leader urged president Bihi to declare an end to the talks ‘failure to which we will submit a motion to parliament to stop it.’
Talks between the two sides have severally failed to yield any tangible framework guiding their relations.
The last meeting in 2019 ended without result save for commitments on humanitarian aid and donor funds.
Somaliland announced its independence form Somalia on May 18, 1991 following the ouster of then president Mohamed Siad Barre and the subsequent collapse of the central government.