Somaliland has given a three-week grace period for the Ethiopian Airlines and Flydubai to re-register its cities namely Hargeisa and Berbera as their destinations in the autonomous region.
Recently, Ethiopian Airlines and Flydubai accepted an order from the Somali government in Mogadishu to remove the name “Somaliland” from their websites and replace it with “Somalia” when referring to cities in Somaliland.
The Civil Aviation and Airports Authority in Somaliland Friday in a statement re-registered the two cities but did not specify what actions would be taken against the two airlines if they fail to comply.
The Somali government early this week had threatened to revoke the airlines’ licenses if they did not comply within three days.
The airlines’ compliance with the Somali government’s directive angered Somaliland authorities, who viewed this as a violation of their claimed independence.
As a result, Somaliland authorities began demanding that the airlines re-register Somaliland’s name on the flights they operate to its cities.
Somaliland, with a population of 5.7 million, has its own constitution, passport, army, currency, government, President, and holds regular direct elections.
However, its lack of international recognition has been a significant obstacle to accessing the funding and assistance needed for economic development.
