The president of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, will tomorrow host a meeting between his Somalia counterpart, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and the leader of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, Muse Bihi Abdi, in Djibouti.
The meeting will also be attended by the Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali.
In a tweet on his Twitter handle, President Guelleh said, “Tomorrow in Djibouti, I will chair a meeting between President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and President Moussa Bihi Abdi to follow up on the mediation efforts between the two leaders. I have also invited Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to attend the discussions.”
Media sources have reported that the high-level talks between the Somali president Farmajo and the Somaliland leader Bihi could pave the way for the resumption of international aid to the breakaway region that was stopped with pressure from the Somali federal government.
The talks could also revive hopes of reunion between Somalia and Somaliland if the discussions culminate into an agreement between the two leaders.
The sources indicate that the Somalia delegation accompanying President Farmajo inculde Prime Minister Hassan Ali Kheyre, Speaker of the Lower House of the Federal Parliament Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman and Minister of Interior Affairs Abdi Mohamed Sabriye.
For his part, the Somaliland leader Muse Bihi Abdi will be accompanied by the Speaker of the Upper House of Somaliland Parliament, Suleiman Mohamud Adan, Foreign Minister Yasin Mohamud Faraton, Minister of Trade Mohamud Hassan Sajin and Minister of Livestock Said Sulub.
Somaliland has declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not been recognized by any country since then.
Meanwhile, the three leaders of Djibouti, Somalia and Ethiopia are also expected to hold a tripartite summit to discuss integration among the Horn of Africa countries which has been spearheaded by the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
If successful, Djibouti could join Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea in promoting the idea of integration between the Horn of Africa countries.