Doha (Somalia Today) — Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs says Mogadishu maintains “direct communication” with authorities in the “Somaliland region”, remarks at the Doha Forum that drew a swift rebuttal from Hargeisa and came amid high tensions over deadly unrest in Borama.
Speaking to Doha News on the sidelines of the forum, Ali Mohamed Omar — widely known as Ali Balcad — said the Federal Government was “very closely working with the administration in the Somaliland region” and has “direct communication with them, and we hope to have a resolution in due time.”
He stressed that Somaliland is “part of Somalia” and linked the dispute to 1884, when colonial powers partitioned Somali territories.
Al Balcad noted that Somalia lies on the Gulf of Aden, “not on the Red Sea, but [on the] Gulf of Aden,” which he called “the gate for [the] Red Sea” and the Suez Canal route.
Those remarks tied Somaliland’s status to control of the Gulf of Aden, placing the internal dispute in a wider regional frame.
Somaliland response
Somaliland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strong statement, rejecting any suggestion that political talks with Mogadishu are underway.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Somaliland clarifies that there are no ongoing talks with Somalia,” it said. “The Government officially suspended the dialogue earlier this year after Somalia’s blatant interference in Somaliland’s internal affairs.”
“The dialogue process has formally ceased. No official has the authority to distort this fact or issue misleading statements to international media for personal recognition,” the ministry added, in an apparent reference to Omar’s Doha interview.
The statement repeated Somaliland’s position on its status. It said Somaliland “restored its sovereignty in 1991 and has since maintained its own independent state institutions,” and “has never been part of the federal system created in Somalia after 2012.”
It urged Mogadishu to “stop circulating false claims about supposed ongoing talks,” arguing that “Somalia… disrupted and collapsed the 13-year dialogue process” and that current remarks only “highlight that failure.”
“Somaliland remains a sovereign, stable, and peaceful nation,” and that its people are “united and resilient,” the ministry concluded.
Somalia’s Federal Government and Somaliland opened internationally backed talks in 2012, with early rounds in London, Dubai and Turkey.
A Turkish foreign ministry communiqué in 2013 outlined broad areas of cooperation on airspace, aid and security, but did not resolve the status question.
Later meetings produced limited technical deals, including on aviation and development aid. They did not deliver an agreement on recognition, power-sharing or resource governance, and the process slowed.
Hargeisa now says the track is closed unless there is a new political framework.
High tensions in Awdal
The latest spat between the sides comes at a tense moment in Somaliland’s west.
On Saturday, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi “Irro” cancelled a controversial Xeer Ciise commemoration in the coastal town of Zeila, and Hargeisa blamed Mogadishu for fuelling deadly unrest in Borama.
Two nights of protests over the planned clan ceremony left at least 30 people dead and more than 140 wounded, according to local officials and hospital sources.
In its Borama statement, Somaliland’s foreign ministry accused the Federal Government of Somalia of “continued interference and destabilising actions”.
It described Mogadishu’s conduct as “deliberate, coordinated, and clearly intended to inflame tensions, fuel misinformation, and widen divisions within Somaliland’s peaceful and stable communities.”
The ministry called this “a serious breach of international norms” and rejected what it termed “external security manipulation” aimed at undermining public order. That language now sits alongside the Doha-related statement in the same diplomatic message.
This came after the federal interior ministry released a Somali-language statement describing the Borama violence as “regrettable and avoidable”, sending condolences to the families of the dead and wishing the wounded a speedy recovery.
The statement urged Somaliland “to listen to the concerns of Borama residents” and protect civilians.
At the same time, the federal government said it stood ready to assist in treating the injured and called on elders, business leaders, women and youth in Awdal to de-escalate tensions and prevent further clashes.
Regional stakes
The dispute also feeds into a wider regional competition.
On 1 January 2024, Somaliland signed a memorandum of understanding with Ethiopia that would give Addis Ababa access to a stretch of coastline on the Gulf of Aden in exchange for potential future recognition of Somaliland’s statehood.
Federal Government of Somalia condemned the MoU as a violation of its sovereignty, recalled its ambassador, and sought backing from the Arab League, African Union and other partners for its position on territorial integrity.
A policy brief by the Mogadishu-based Heritage Institute says the agreement offers Ethiopia “a foothold” in the Gulf of Aden and that it has drawn in regional rivals, including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.
In Doha, Omar’s reference to the “gate” to the Red Sea echoed this concern.
By underlining historical fragmentation and maritime competition, he reinforced Mogadishu’s stance. Decisions on bases and ports must go through the federal government, he implied, not separate arrangements with Hargeisa.
