Somaliland leader pardons 365 prisoners

Leader of Somaliland, Muse Bihi Abdi ordered the release of the ex-convicts as part of activities marking the region’s pro-claim Independence Day celebration which falls on 18 May.

In a statement, Bihi said the region authorities decided to free the inmates.

Early May, the leader set up a 6-member commission to look into the state of prisons.

They forwarded recommendations among which was for the leader to pardon a number of prisoners held for misdemeanor.

In 1991, Somaliland announced to broke with Somalia which formerly consist of former British Somaliland Protectorate and former Italian Somaliland.

Despite relative peace in the region, the international community has not recognized Somaliland as nation.

The United Nations and global organizations had forced Somalia’s including stakeholders from Somaliland, to hold talks to iron out their differences.

In 2011, Somalia and Somaliland had started talks to decide their fate barely 21 years after Somaliland declared to have seceded from the rest of Somalia.

The sides are paving the way for talks on the state of the nation.

The former Italian colony attained its independence on July 1, 1960 and on the same day it merged with the former British Somaliland Protectorate, which had obtained independence five days earlier on June 26.

In 1980 alleged massacres by former autocratic regime of Siad Barre in northern regions had culminated in proposed secession by Somaliland stakeholders.