AFRICA NEWS — Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi has described Somalia’s rejection of a port deal the former signed with Ethiopia and DP World, as a ‘declaration of war’.

The Somali government recently declared the tripartite agreement signed over the management of the Berbera port in Somaliland as ‘null and void’ arguing that the deal violated the unity and constitution of the country.

Somaliland is internationally recognised as an autonomous state of Somalia.

Bihi insists that the state has the freedom to approve this deal that will improve the lives of its people, but the Somali prime minister Hassan Ali said that all international agreements must be approved by the central government.

The DP World chief executive officer, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem defended his company’s role in the dispute saying Somaliland has been “independent” from Somalia for 28 years and its parliament approved deal.

Somalia has appealed to the Arab League to intervene in this dispute that risks souring relations with the United Arab Emirates.

Somaliland declared unilateral independence from Somalia on May 18, 1991. It has been under pressure to hold talks with Somalia which have so far been futile.

Somaliland can boast of an army, its own currency and legal system. The territory has been experiencing stability and economic prosperity and has been influential in the fight against piracy and terrorism in the Horn of Africa.

26 years of diplomatic isolation has made it difficult for Somaliland to have access to loans from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Switzerland is ready to host talks between the Federal Government of Somalia and the breakaway Somaliland, official said.

Somaliland Foreign minister Sa’aad Ali Shire told the media in Hargeisa, the capital of the breakaway state on Saturday, that the talks would be held soon, without giving specific dates.

“The talks between the two sides will restart in Switzerland soon,” he said.

However, Dr Shire stated that a preliminary meeting between presidents Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo of Somalia and Somaliland Muse Bihi Abdi of Somalland, would be held in neighbouring Djibouti.

“The two sides will set the agenda of the talks in Switzerland during the preliminary discussions in Djibouti,” said Dr Shire.

A London conference on Somalia in May 2013 welcomed the dialogue between the Federal Government and Somaliland in Ankara, Turkey in the preceding month, to clarify their future relationship.

Conference participants encouraged further talks between the two sides.

While Mogadishu insists on the unity of Somalia as paramount, the leaders of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland want to secure secession it declared in May 1991.

Somaliland is the authority that governs the territory formerly known as British Somaliland Protectorate, which joined with the former Italian-ruled Somalia, to form the Republic of Somalia on July 1, 1960.

Although Somaliland unilaterally declared independence from the rest of Somalia, the region remains unrecognised by the international community.