By Dawan Africa - Reporter
Hargeysa(Mogadishu24)-The breakaway republic of Somaliland strongly rejected a resolution by the UN Security Council, which suggested an extension of ATMIS’s mandate in Somaliland.
In an official statement released on Tuesday, the Somaliland government asserted that ATMIS has no jurisdictional mandate over its territory.
“The Government of the Republic of Somaliland rejects any statement from the UN Security Council that would suggest that the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS’s) mandate includes Somaliland. Somaliland is an independent sovereign state, and ATMIS has never been a jurisdictional mandate over Somaliland,” read the statement from Somaliland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
Somaliland reiterated its firm stance against the UN Security Council’s draft resolution, which is subject to a vote before proceeding.
The Somaliland administration expressed concerns about the suggestion, stating that it has maintained its status as a modern state since the collapse of the Somali government in 1991.
“The Somaliland government is deeply concerned by this suggestion. AMISOM and its successor (ATMIS) is a peacekeeping mission that has been deployed in Somalia since 2007 to help the Somali government fight al-Shabab and other terrorist groups,” the statement read in part.
The statement added, “Based on the AU fact-finding mission dated back in 2005, clearly stated that “since its declaration on May 18th 1991, Somaliland has the attributes of the modern state”. Therefore, ATMIS has never been mandated to operate in Somaliland, and the Somaliland government repeatedly made this clear to the UN Security Council.”
The Somaliland government called on the UN Security Council to reconsider its resolution and respect the sovereignty of Somaliland.
“The Somaliland government urges the UN Security Council to rectify its position on any resolution that includes ATMIS’s mandate in Somaliland and to respect the Somaliland people’s will to be an independent sovereign country,” the statement read.
This comes at a time when Somaliland is facing conflicts related to electoral disputes across its regions, particularly in Awdal, Sahel, and Las’Anod which has clearly announced itself as an independent state from Somaliland, after 8 months of conflicts.
Last week, the federal government of Somalia announced its official recognition of the interim administration of SSC-KHATUMO, which comprises the Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn regions.
However, Somaliland expressed its disapproval of Somalia’s recognition of SSC-Khatumo as an independent federal member state.
The Kenyan Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs has also recognized Somaliland as part of the Federal Government of Somalia and omitted the appointment of a Kenyan ambassador to Somaliland.
Somaliland, the northern region of Somalia colonized by the British, has been striving for recognition as an independent nation for the past 32 years. Compared to other parts of Somalia, it has established a more peaceful government and environment, especially in the aftermath of the 1991 civil war.
However, the secession movement does not enjoy unanimous support from all communities and tribes with
