Somaliland wants Uganda recognition

The state of Somaliland,
which seeks to attain international recognition has opened talks with
Uganda about a consulate in Kampala.

Somaliland, a tiny country
in the horn of Africa, was granted independence by the British in 1960
and shortly after joined Somalia, a former Italy colony to form the
Somali republic.

The union soured in 1991 after a civil war,
prompting Somaliland to declare independence from Somalia. Since then,
the international community has not yet recognised it as sovereign.

Now, Somaliland intends to add Uganda to the list of countries with
which it has diplomatic ties and they include; Kenya, South Africa,
Ethiopia, Djibouti, Belgium, United Kingdom, France and South Sudan.

While the Somaliland community in Uganda was celebrating their
27th independence on Sunday in Kampala, a Somaliland government
representative, Dr Mustapha Awil, said they were engaging Uganda to have
a consulate in Kampala to ease movement of Somaliland nationals to
Uganda, especially students.

‘We enjoy diplomatic relations
with countries like Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, United Kingdom and the
European Union. We are engaging Uganda and we are looking forward to see
that it follows suit,’ Awil said.

Somaliland issues passports
which Uganda does not recognise according to Margaret Kafeero, the head
of public diplomacy at Uganda’s foreign affairs ministry. Awil said that
they have written to Uganda’s ministry of foreign affairs.

Kafeero said today that ‘I’m not aware of the letter but it very well
could have been received. We get very many groups or communities world
over that seek political recognition. Somaliland would not be an
exception.’

Some Somaliland students here told The
Observer that to get into Uganda, they first have to go to Mogadishu,
Somalia, attain a Somalia passport and then apply for a Ugandan visa.

The former minister of state for Economic Monitoring in the Office of
the President, Henry Banyenzaki, who is now the director of Monitoring
and Evaluation at the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) said that since
the African Union had just signed the Africa Free Trade Zone agreement,
Somaliland should be included.

‘We intend to explore all the
avenues of how the issue of Somaliland can be addressed to see to it
that they are recognised,’ Banyenzaki said.

According to the
national chairman of the ruling party’s entrepreneurship league, Robert
Mwesigwa, who was the chief guest, recognition of Somaliland should be
looked at in terms of business.