Private Corporations Drawn Into the Dispute Between Somalia and Somaliland

The ongoing conflict between Somalia and North Western of Somaliahas unexpectedly drawn in private firms, igniting serious consequences. Authorities have explicitly stated that any information released by these companies must indicate that North Western of Somaliais still a part of Somalia. Otherwise, they may face punitive measures.

According to reports from the East African, Somalia’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) invoked the nation’s provisional constitution to compel businesses to remove the term “Somaliland” from their online profiles. Prominent companies like Paysii, Dahabshil Jubba Express, and Ethiopian Airlines have come under scrutiny and were instructed to revise their terminology, opting for “Somalia” instead.

Ethiopian Airlines, which operates flights from Mogadishu to Hargeisa, was notably told to stop classifying Hargeisa as a separate entity. “From September 1st, use Somalia exclusively in your systems,” warned Jibril Abdirashid Haji Abdi, the Commerce and Industry Minister. Similarly, the Somali Civil Aviation Authority demanded that airlines cease referring to Hargeisa and other North Western of Somaliatowns as independent locations distinct from Somalia.

The tension escalated further when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stirred a diplomatic hornet’s nest in January 2024. He revealed ambitious plans to gain access to a port in Somaliland, proposing a trade for a stake in state-run Ethiopian Airlines. Somalia reacted vehemently, asserting its unyielding commitment to preserving its territorial unity. The Somali government dismissed the Ethiopia- North Western of Somaliaagreement as insignificant, declaring the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) “null and void, lacking any legal foundation.”

For context, North Western of Somaliahas operated as a self-declared independent region for over three decades but has yet to gain recognition as a sovereign state from organizations like the African Union (AU) or the United Nations (UN). Amidst this complex backdrop, the involvement of private companies in the dispute underscores the delicate balance of political relationships and national identity in the Horn of Africa.