Somaliland Government Will Not Attend July Conference for Somalia in Brussels

[Deeq A.]

The government of Somaliland has refused to attend a conference by donors for Somaliland and Somalia in Brussels, Belgium. The donors meeting which is expected to start on 26-28 July 2018 is expected to contribute money to the Somalia development agenda which many countries are suspicious of because of the endemic corruption in Mogadishu.

According to confidential information the Horn Newspaper intercepted confirmed that the Somaliland government received official invitation however it decided not attend because the meeting serb=ves the interest of the Somalia regime and Somaliland has nothing to gain.

There is no official statement from the Somaliland government as to why it rescinded to attend the meeting.  The government of the former president Silanyo once in 2014 refused to attend another meeting of its kind held in Denmark whereby Somalia was the focus of attention.

In another instance in 2013 the same Silanyo administration did not take part in a conference held in Belgium. This is the third international conference the Somaliland government has shown a cold shoulder attitude and refused to embrace the agenda which is to support the corrupt Mogadishu regime. Even though the current government of president Musa Bihi has not spoken about this meeting the former president Silanyo cited the invitation of Mr.Hassan Sheikh Mohammud as the reason of his stay.

However information reaching us confirms that Somaliland will not receive any special treatment and the development aid by donors will go through the Mogadishu regime.

Horn