Saturday October 5, 2024
FILE - Somaliland's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Rhoda J. Elmi, speaks during a press conference in Hargeisa.
Somaliland's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Rhoda J. Elmi, stressed that Somalia has no jurisdiction over Somaliland's internal matters, including the presidential elections scheduled for November 13. "These elections are solely the responsibility of Somaliland's government and its people," Elmi said in a statement released Friday.
advertisements
The Somaliland government particularly criticized Somalia's objections regarding Ethiopia's relationship with Somaliland. Somalia has expressed strong opposition to an agreement between Somaliland and Ethiopia that grants Ethiopia access to Somaliland's ports and includes provisions for a military base. Fiqi described this agreement as illegal and undermining Somalia's sovereignty.In a press release by Somaliland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the breakaway government countered Somalia's remarks. "It is laughable for a regime that has failed to hold credible, transparent elections for decades to comment on Somaliland's well-established democratic process," the statement read. Officials also emphasized that Somaliland's November elections would be conducted in a free and fair manner.
Although Somaliland remains unrecognized internationally, it has functioned as a de facto independent state since declaring its separation from Somalia in 1991, maintaining its own government, military, and legal system.