Somaliland politician Faysal Ali Warabe (pictured), a presidential candidate in this year’s Somaliland poll, has thrown his support behind Kenya’s former premier, Raila Odinga, in the race for chair of the African Union Commission (AUC).
The endorsement comes at a time when Nairobi has managed to mend relations with Mogadishu.
The former prime minister, in the regional context, is facing competition from Somalia’s candidate, former Foreign Minister Fawzia Adam Yusuf, in the race for the coveted post.
Notably, Raila has, over the years, maintained strong ties to Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, and has previously advocated for Somaliland’s statehood. His influence in Hargeisa may encourage Mogadishu to continue its bid and not withdraw its candidate in his favour.
In a 2020 meeting in Nairobi, Raila discussed Somaliland’s independence with President Muse Bihi, emphasising the need for the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) to recognise Somaliland as an independent nation.
Raila (pictured), who was then serving as the AU’s High Representative for Infrastructure, largely a ceremonial role, said it was impossible to reunite Somalia and Somaliland.
“The AU needs to wake up to the reality that it is not going to be possible again to bring these two countries together and recognise them as two separate countries,” he said at the Villa Rosa Kempinski in Nairobi during a reception dinner for the Somaliland leader.
The veteran Kenyan politician, who leads the opposition’s Azimio la Umoja coalition and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), said he did not regret issuing the same remarks earlier while in the UK.
“I have talked in the UN, and I have talked in the London Chatham House. I said, and I have no regret, and I will say it again, that Somaliland is a reality the world has to live with,” Raila told the audience in Nairobi.
The opposition leader added that Somaliland will continue to progress without depending on Somalia.
Raila, at the time, argued the continental body should step in and open a conversation about Somaliland, the same way it handled the matter of the disputed Western Sahara territory with Morocco.
