No More Talks with a Failed State.
In a fiery decision, Somaliland officially halts all negotiations with Somalia, condemning the Lasanod visit as a violation of sovereignty. Tensions soar as Hargeisa draws a hard line.
Somaliland to Somalia: Dialogue Is Dead. War Logic Begins.
April 16, 2025, will be remembered as the day Somaliland officially slammed the door on any pretense of peace with Somalia. Following Mogadishu’s calculated provocation — Prime Minister Hamza Barre’s illegal and inflammatory visit to Lasanod — the Council of Ministers has delivered the decision millions had been waiting for: no more talks with Somalia, a regime they now describe as a failed, deceptive, and destabilizing force in the Horn of Africa.
This was not diplomacy — it was an act of political invasion. With that one move, Somalia crossed the red line. And Somaliland, long patient, long restrained, has now responded in kind: no more illusions of dialogue.
Despite President Irro’s repeated gestures of peace — including an inaugural-day olive branch on December 12, 2024 — Somalia’s response was incitement. Now, the gloves are off.
In today’s Cabinet declaration, Somaliland didn’t just cut off talks — it exposed Somalia’s actions as both legally void and morally bankrupt. The so-called “prisoner release” orchestrated by Barre was condemned as propaganda, staged to mask Mogadishu’s collapsing legitimacy. These are not prisoners of war, Hargeisa made clear — they are illegally abducted civilians, and Somalia’s maneuver is a cheap trick to distract from its own imploding statehood.
Meanwhile, Somaliland continues to coordinate with legitimate international partners — including the ICRC, U.S., UK, and UAE — to resolve humanitarian matters in accordance with international conventions, not tribal theatrics.
The real threat now? Somalia’s erratic moves provide fertile ground for terrorists. By militarizing Lasanod and hijacking peace for photo ops, Mogadishu opens the gates for extremist groups to re-enter the scene — endangering not just Somaliland, but the entire Horn of Africa.
With Somalia violating every principle of past dialogue, Somaliland has walked away — not in surrender, but in sovereignty. The nation’s message is thunderous and unambiguous:
“We will defend every inch. We will not negotiate our borders. And we will not recognize a regime that refuses to recognize our right to exist.”
