Somalia: Borders Closed With Somaliland

Nairobi — Djibouti said it had banned the transport of all goods and people between Djibouti and the self-declared state of Somaliland, northwestern Somalia. A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that the administration in Somaliland had stolen cigarettes worth US $800,000 belonging to Djibouti businessman Abdirahman Bore, at the airstrip in Somaliland's port of Berbera. The Somaliland administration was "trying to use unacceptable blackmail by saying there can be no commercial relations between Djibouti and Somaliland unless Djibouti recognises Somaliland as an independent state", Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted the statement as saying.

The prominent Djibouti businessman, Bore, is close to Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh, and helped finance and organise the Djibouti-hosted Somali peace talks last year which elected Somalia's new president, Abdiqassim Salad Hassan. Last week, Bore went to Hargeysa, Somaliland, to hold talks with Somaliland President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal.

...

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.