Somaliland Drawing Increased Levels Of International Attention

In recent days, the Somaliland Chronicle (SC) reported “a brief conversation” with the nation’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Honorary Yasin Hagi Mohamoud Hiir (Faratoon) confirming that “an important delegation from a sub-Saharan African country (was) paying an official visit” to the country.

At the time Minister Faratoon would reportedly “not say what country the delegation (was) coming from” although it was later understood this nation was, “likely from Malawi and could include legislators and other government officials.”

Somaliland’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honorary Liban Yusuf Osman had recently visited Malawi recently although “the purpose of Mr. Osman’s visit (had) not been disclosed.”

“Somaliland has been very active in lobbying multiple African nations recently including South Africa, Malawi, and others” the SC went on to add, without making any direct reference to the establishing of diplomatic relations with Taiwan earlier in the year.

The visit by the delegation from Malawi came less than a week after the return of President Bihi from Nairobi in Kenya on an earlier groundbreaking visit that drew attention from across Africa and the wider world.

“Somaliland and Kenya have since issued a communique on areas of cooperation between the two nations” according to the Somaliland Chronicle.

In doing so, Kenya became “the second nation the Somali (Somalia) Federal Government … cut diplomatic ties” with as a result of a visit by President Bihi – the President subsequently quipping that “Somaliland intends to make contact with every nation in Africa to give Somalia an opportunity to sever more ties.”