Republic of Somaliland has said it deeply offended by the language in the communique issued by the G7 Foreign Ministers referring to the Republic of Somaliland as “Somaliland Region of Somalia.”
Somaliland governmenrt said it is disingenuous and unacceptable that G7 governments knowing fully well the history of the union between the two states of Somaliland and Somalia which had actually no legal basis and the subsequent dissolution of that union upon the collapse of the Somali government, to refer to the Republic of Somaliland as “Somaliland Region of Somalia”. Inventing names and trying to erase history is not going to change the actual facts.
“The Republic of Somaliland is a sovereign state with its own laws and constitution, reaffirmed by the people of Somaliland in a democratic constitutional referendum,” sid the statement issued by the Somaliland Ministry of Foreign Affairs
tThe statemet added: “It was bewildering to see the G7 who carry the torch of democracy for diplomatic expediency, decide to neglect the realities of a democratic and stable Somaliland.
“Somaliland statehood is sacrosanct and non-negotiable and the Government of Somaliland rejects unequivocally, any attempts to undermine the peaceful aspirations of its people.
“The Government of Somaliland urges the G7 to take note of the growing belligerence of Somalia and the attempts by their leadership to reignite past historical conflicts which the region as a whole and Mogadishu in particular in its current state of fragility, can ill afford.”
The G7 foreign ministers held a meeting in Capri, Italy between 17 – 19 April where member states said they expressed concern regarding the Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and the Somaliland region of Somalia announced in January 2024.
The countries also said they encourage both Ethiopia and Somalia “to keep all channels of dialogue open to prevent further escalation, working with regional partners, in the framework of the African Union and through bilateral contacts, in accordance with international law and the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity as enshrined in the UN Charter.
While welcoming developments in the implementation of the Pretoria cessation of hostilities agreement between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the group of developed countries including the High Representative of the European Union member states also expressed concern about “the persistent and violent tensions in many areas of the country, as well as reports of human rights violations and abuses, the severe economic crisis and widening food insecurity.”
The G7 countries encouraged lasting developments in the protection of human rights, protection of civilians, political dialogue to resolve tensions, reconciliation and national dialogue, transitional justice, and accountability for crimes committed during the conflict.
The group called for “similar commitment by those involved in conflicts in other regions of Ethiopia to pursue peace through dialogue,” and underscored the importance of delivering peace dividend quickly for conflict-affected populations through recovery and reconstruction support, disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of ex-combatants, and implementation of durable solutions for Internally Displaced People (IDPs).
