MOGADISHU, Somalia – The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has congratulated the newly elected President of Somaliland, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Irro), and his Vice President, Mohamed Aw-Ali Abdi, following the public election held on Wednesday in Somaliland.
President Mohamud also extended his congratulations to the political parties Waddani, Kaah, and Kulmiye for their performance in the election, praising the maturity and understanding of governance demonstrated by the people of Somaliland.
“We wish the President, Vice President, and the elected parties success in their efforts,” he said, praying that Allah makes it easier for them to implement their plans to improve the lives of the people and boost the economy of the Somaliland regions.
President Mohamud also reaffirmed the Federal Government of Somalia’s commitment to resuming reconciliation talks with Somaliland, focused on preserving the unity of Somalia, despite ongoing tensions over Ethiopia’s sea access in return for a recognition deal with Somaliland.
“We assure our willingness to resume talks with the newly elected President of Somaliland, Mr. Abdirahman Irro,” he said. “We are committed to completing the two-way reconciliation process, which is essential for the progress and unity of Somalia.”
In late December 2023, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and outgoing President of Somaliland Muse Bihi met in Djibouti for talks led by Djibouti’s President, Ismail Omar Guelleh. While previous negotiations had stalled, all parties were expected to meet again to agree on terms and conditions. However, President Bihi set a new course by signing a controversial maritime deal with Ethiopia.
Earlier in January this year, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed signed the deal with Bihi to secure access to a 20-kilometer stretch of Red Sea coastline in exchange for recognizing Somaliland as an independent state. Somalia, which considers Somaliland part of its territory, has described the agreement that landlocked Ethiopia made as an act of aggression.
In response, Somalia also excluded Ethiopia from the list of troop-contributing countries for the new AU mission set to begin in January next year and gave Ethiopia until December 31 to withdraw all of its peacekeeping troops from Somalia.
Now, Irro faces a challenging road ahead as he takes on the leadership of Somaliland for the next five years. Political analysts said he will need to address rising inflation, a struggling economy, and ongoing tensions with Somalia sparked by the deal signed with Ethiopia.
Despite declaring its independence from Somalia in 1991 and holding nine elections, including its fourth one-person, one-vote presidential election since 2003, Somaliland still lacks international recognition. When the region attempted to gain recognition from Ethiopia, the tensions it sparked put the entire Horn of Africa at risk, dragging Egypt and Eritrea into a coalition with Somalia against Ethiopia.
