Speaker event: Djibouti summit on Somaliland-Somalia Talks

In July 2020, the Institute for Strategic Insights and Research (ISIR) published a reflection paper analyzing the Djibouti Summit on Somaliland and Somalia Relations held in June 2020. The paper, titled “A Search For A Broad-Based Road-Map”, not only captured the deliberations and major issues contested during the four-day long negotiations, but also made policy recommendations to be adopted to improve chances of success of future talks.

A follow-up event was organized by ISIR on 3rd August 2020. Honorable Abdiqadir Jirde, a Member of Somaliland Parliament, gave the keynote speech titled “A better way forward” to a select group of authors, researchers, and professionals from Somaliland’s academia. The delegates discussed the topic of the day, demonstrating how deeply the Somaliland intellectual community understands the current stalemate and the critical role they could potentially play towards reaching an agreeable resolution.

Honorable Abdiqadir Jirde selected two major areas of focus as far as the ongoing talks are concerned. First, he highlighted the fact that it is crucial for Somaliland to ensure the talks are sustained, despite what he termed as ‘the federal government of Somalia’s reluctance to engage in dialogue’. Secondly, Hon. Jirde presented a concept that he termed as “A shared Sovereignty” that acts as a mid-way house before a final settlement is reached. “Through confidence-building measures and taking great leaps of faith, the parties should make concessions” Jirde said. During the closing remarks, Abdiqadir Jirde pointed out the risks arising from the changing regional geopolitical landscape and the potential for regional diplomacy to adversely affect Ethiopia’s close relations with Somalia to the detriment of Somaliland.

You can watch the full discussion below