Officials In Somaliland Welcome Sharif Presidency

HARGEISA, Somaliland, Feb. 10, 2009 – Authorities of Somaliland Tuesday welcomed the election of the new Somali President, a rare move by the Somaliland's officials, as the state seek independence from the rest of the war-torn Horn of Africa country.

Vice President of Somaliland, Ahmed Yusuf Yasin, said that his government can work with the new Somali administration of President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed who was elected in parliamentary vote in neighboring Djibouti where the Somali legislature held its session late in January.

"We hope Sharif who is young will be different from the politicians of the 60s and can tackle the issue between south and north Somalia," Yasin said in Hargeisa, capital of the republic of Somaliland which has not as yet received international recognition.

He said that independence for Somaliland would not mean total separation from the two regions but that the "two states" can still have open borders for the free flow of people and goods between the two sides.

"The Somalis cannot do without one another and we do not want to close our borders (with south Somalia)," said Yasin.

Somaliland politicians have long been distancing themselves from any involvement in the politics of Somalia which they seek to secede from after declaring independence soon following the overthrow of former Somali ruler Mohamed Siyad Barre in 1991.

The two regions, south and north Somalia formed a union following their independence from the Italian and British colonial rule in the 1960s but the regions politicians have often cited oppression and injustice from successive governments in Somalia.

Somaliland, which unilaterally declared its independence from rest of Somalia after the collapse of the Somali government in 1991, has not received international recognition. However, the region enjoys relative stability, has its separate self-government, flag, police and military forces and currency.

Source: Xinhua

Home | Contact us | Links | Archives | Search