Displaying items by tag: Somaliland

An agreement on 1 January by breakaway Somaliland to allow Ethiopia to use the Red Sea port of Berbera has been condemned by Somalia as dangerous for regional stability. Since 1991, when Eritrea gained independence, Ethiopia has been landlocked and reliant on neighbouring Djibouti for maritime trade access. The new agreement, signed by the Ethiopian prime minister and Somaliland’s president, includes acknowledging Somaliland as an independent nation and giving it a share of the ownership of Ethiopian Airlines in due course. Somaliland, which declared autonomy in 1991, lacks widespread international recognition; Somalia insists that it remains part of its territory. Following mediation by Djibouti, the two countries have agreed to restart talks to resolve their dispute.

A married Christian couple, detained for being ‘apostates and evangelists spreading Christianity’ in Muslim-majority Somaliland, have been suddenly released and deported to Somalia, allowing them to subsequently travel with their youngest child to a safe country and be reunited with their two elder sons. The couple were arrested by police on 21 September when Christian material was found at their home. They made several appearances in the Somaliland regional court. Then European representatives raised the case with the ministry of religious affairs and the couple were unexpectedly released and ordered to be deported on 1 November.