The UK Parliament on Tuesday debated a motion on whether to recognise Somaliland as an independent nation, even as London rushed to downplay the session only as an expression of a known policy, The motion, which in the Westminster system was labelled as an adjournment debate, came after the session of parliament on Tuesday night, which meant that there would be no vote or further business after the discussion…
And Somaliland had seen that as a good step towards getting global endorsement to be independent of Somalia. On Tuesday night, Vicky Ford, the UK Minister for Africa, Latin America and Caribbean said the debate was only a show of the UK’s consistency on the issue of Somalia.
“Adjournment debate in the House of Commons underlines consistent UK government position on Somaliland status. It is for the SL [Somaliland] & Federal Government of Somalia to decide their future,” she said on Twitter while on an official visit to Nairobi, “We continue to cooperate with the Federal government of Somalia and Somaliland on democracy, security and prosperity.”
Ms Ford had earlier spoken on phone with Somalia Foreign Minister Abdisaid Muse Ali where they discussed various issues including “political developments in the Horn of Africa.” The motion led by Conservative MP Gavin Williamson sought to challenge London to recognise what it sees as a region of the Horn of Africa that has defended freedom in a volatile area of the continent.
