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Relations between Djibouti and the self-declared independent state of Somaliland, northwestern Somalia, are set to improve following a three-day visit to Djibouti by the Somaliland interim president, Dahir Riyale Kahin, a Djibouti official told IRIN on Monday.
The official said the two sides had reached agreement to iron out any differences between "the two brotherly peoples". The provisions of the agreement include ending hostile propaganda by both sides, reopening the common border and "allowing traders from both sides to freely conduct their businesses", according to the official.
Somaliland authorities had confiscated a consignment of cigarettes worth US $800,000, reportedly belonging to a Djibouti businessman, Abdulrahman Bore, in April last year. Bore is reportedly close to Djibouti President Ismael Omar Guelleh, sources told IRIN at the time.
Kahin's trip to Djibouti was his first to a foreign country since assuming the Somaliland presidency last month after the death of Muhammad Ibrahim Egal.
Relations between the two sides soured following Djibouti's hosting of the Somali peace talks, which led to the establishment of the Transitional National Government (TNG). The Somaliland administration boycotted the talks, accusing Djibouti of interfering in Somalia's internal affairs.
However, a Djiboutian government official told IRIN on Monday that Djibouti "will continue to support the TNG and Somali unity in general, and will not compromise on this".
The people on both sides of the border were one and the same, he said, so they "had to take advantage of this new opportunity to eventually solve their differences".
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
