The President of Puntland State of Somalia, Said Abdullahi Deni said in no uncertain terms on Monday that his government will not accept any outcome borne from the Djibouti Conference concerning Somalia and Somaliland.
Speaking to the Puntland Parliament, Deni said that in the absence of a seat at the table, Puntland could not confer legitimacy to the ongoing negotiations.
“As we have declared many times in the past, we will not accept any outcome from talks with Somaliland without Puntland Government”.
Deni said that his government is in a protracted territorial dispute over the northern Somali provinces of Sool, Sanaag and Ayn. He argued that Puntland must be involved in the talks to settle the border issue formally.
The conflict has led to several armed clashes between the two regions.
Puntland’s Speaker of Parliament, Abdirashid Yusuf Jibril accused Farmaajo of using the negotiations with Somaliland as a political opportunity and in doing so, violated the rights of Sool and Sanaag residents.
