President Abiy’s charm offensive on Somaliland ‘hits a snag’

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Somalilandsun: A request by Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed to visit the capital city of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, Hargeisa, while accompanied by Somalia’s president is facing strong headwinds, the Namibian reports.

The proposed visit was part of Abiy’s effort to thaw relations between Somalia and Somaliland. Since Somalia’s civil war and the collapse of government in 1991, Somaliland has been a self-declared independent state and has its own democratically elected government. But it is not officially recognised by any country or international organisation. Abiy earlier this month hosted a meeting between Somalia’s president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and Somaliland’s Muse Bihi Abdi in his office after the AU summit.