Hargeisa May 03, 2023 (SD) – The Somaliland presidency and the Minister of State for Development and African Affairs of the UK government, Andrew Mitchell, released a contradictory statement regarding an online meeting held today by the two officials.

the meeting discussed the ongoing conflict in Laascaanood, the capital of Sool region, between the Somaliland army and the local SSC, and the recent presidential elections.

According to the outgoing president of Somaliland, he informed the UK minister that his government is always ready for an unconditional ceasefire, as he announced numerous times earlier, a claim deemed false by victims and critics alike.

Also, the President told the UK Minister that his government has now prepared the expenses for the distribution of voter cards in early June by the National Elections Commission.

However, in a news release from the UK government’s Minister of State for International Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, it was mentioned that the meeting discussed the concerns of the conflict in Laascaanood and the delay in the elections. Somaliland’s economic power is enormous, but stability is the foundation of success, and an immediate ceasefire and electoral map are urgently needed.

This is not the first time the Somaliland President misrepresented items discussed in meetings with various members of the international community regarding the need for a ceasefire in Laascaanood and an electoral roadmap for the overdue presidential elections.