Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has appointed the former leader of Galmudug state, Abdikarim Guleed as the country’s envoy for Somaliland affairs.
In a statement, Villa Somalia said Guleed who has experience in reconciliation and conflict resolution will focus on restarting talks between the Federal Government of Somalia and Somaliland.
Somaliland, a region in northern Somalia had declared to have seceded from Somalia in 1990 after the fall of the government led by the late Mohamed Siad Barre.
The region which succeeded to restore peace has held parliamentary and presidential elections. But the region failed to gain international recognition.
The talks between Somalia and Somaliland began in 2012 when the London Conference on Somalia, held at Lancaster House in February resulted in a communiqué.
In 2014, the Federal Government of Somalia and the self-declared Republic of Somaliland signed an accord following three-day talks moderated by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
In June 2020, former Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and Somaliland leader Muse Bihi Abdi met in Djibouti in a meeting brokered by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh.
The two sides agreed on the continuation of the talks but a month later Somaliland rescinded its decision, accusing Turkey of supporting Somalia against Somaliland.
