MOGADISHU – Somalia’s federal government on Thursday renewed its call for dialogue with Somaliland, saying negotiations remain the only path toward resolving one of the Horn of Africa’s longest-running political disputes.
Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama said the government in Mogadishu remains open to resuming talks with authorities in Hargeisa despite years of stalled negotiations and growing political mistrust.
Speaking to Dawan Media, Jama said Somalia continued to support a peaceful settlement based on dialogue, mutual understanding and political consensus.
“There have been difficult circumstances and external influences that have greatly affected the issue, but our position has always been to resolve the conflict through dialogue,” he said.
Jama added that the federal government supports a political process founded on unity, justice, democracy and power-sharing, while acknowledging that communities in Somaliland have long-standing grievances rooted in decades of conflict and instability.
The comments come amid renewed tensions between Mogadishu and Hargeisa following Somaliland’s growing diplomatic contacts with Israel and reported plans to open a representative office in Jerusalem. Somalia’s federal government has strongly opposed such moves, insisting Somaliland remains an integral part of Somalia’s sovereign territory.
Somaliland declared independence in 1991 after the collapse of Somalia’s central government. Since then, it has operated with its own administration, security forces and electoral institutions, although it has not received international recognition as an independent state.
Formal negotiations between the two sides began in 2012 following an international conference in London backed by global partners. The talks aimed to establish a peaceful framework for discussions on governance, security cooperation, airspace management, development assistance and future political relations.
Subsequent rounds of talks were hosted in Turkey, Djibouti and the United Arab Emirates, where both sides signed several cooperation agreements and repeatedly pledged to continue dialogue.
However, negotiations later stalled as tensions deepened. Somaliland accused the federal government of failing to implement previous agreements, while Mogadishu raised similar concerns over Hargeisa’s commitments.
Jama said political disagreements and foreign interference had further complicated reconciliation efforts, but stressed that dialogue remained the only realistic solution to the dispute.
The Somalia-Somaliland issue remains one of the Horn of Africa’s most delicate unresolved political questions. International partners have consistently encouraged continued engagement between Mogadishu and Hargeisa while reaffirming support for Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity.
