Somali scholars, politicians and traditional leaders from across the Horn of Africa gathered in Djibouti on Monday for a three-day forum on strengthening regional stability.
The annual forum, the eighth of its kind, was organized by the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies in Somalia, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan research group in Mogadishu. Mursal Saney, executive director of the institute, said the forum is providing an opportunity for Somalis from across the region to discuss issues of concern.
“We have invited nearly 300 delegates including regional experts to provide them an opportunity to discuss and exhibit constructive ideas on how the Horn of Africa region can strengthen its stability and the importance of rule of law,” Saney said.
This year’s forum comes at a time of growing tension between Somalia and Ethiopia over a port deal Addis Ababa signed in January with Somaliland, a breakaway region. Mogadishu sees Somaliland as a part of Somalia.
The deal so far, in the form of a memorandum of understanding, gives landlocked Ethiopia a 50-year lease for a Red Sea port from Somaliland in exchange for possible recognition of Somaliland’s independence. The deal has angered Mogadishu, which has described it as an assault on Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Ethiopia maintains that it does not infringe on Somalia's sovereignty.
Somaliland declared its independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991, following the collapse of the military government led by late dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
Somalia has never accepted Somaliland’s secession, nor has Somaliland received international recognition.
In July and August, two rounds of talks between Ethiopia and Somalia, mediated by Turkey, failed to solve the dispute, with Somalia demanding Ethiopia withdraw from the deal. The issue has raised fears of fresh conflict in the Horn of Africa region.
“Because of its strategic location in the region and the fact that it is coming out of a conflict era, Somalia is thirsty for peace and regional stability, respecting the international law and the rule of law,” Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi said at the start of the forum.
Also on Monday, Mumin Hassan Barre, Djibouti’s minister of justice and religion, said experts attending the forum should contribute to the well-being of the region.
“We see experts that know the region well, and I think the peace, stability and the solution of the region’s problems lie in the hands of its people, including the experts who gathered here,” Barre said.
Somalis representing Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia are attending the event, as well as those from across the region and the diaspora communities in the United States, Europe and elsewhere.
Mohamed Sheikh Nor contributed to this report. Some information came from Reuters.
