Hargeisa (Commentary) —The President of Somaliland Administration, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi , earlier this week held a meeting with business leaders in Hargeisa. Organised by the Somaliland Chamber of Commerce, the main agenda of the meeting revolved around resuming business relations between Somaliland and Puntland. Business leaders submitted a brief report on the impact of the unresolved conflict in Sool and Ceerigaabo on their businesses.
“Our business heavily relies on trade ties with the Puntland State of Somalia. The freedom of movement and cross-regional investment has demonstrably decreased by 99%. People from Puntland have lost confidence in investing in Somaliland-controlled areas. They are selling their properties and no longer come to Hargeisa or Burao for medical services,” said one business leader.
The new livestock exporting guidelines imposed by the Federal Government of Somalia have affected the livestock markets in Burao and Hargeisa. Products made by small-scale factories in Burao are no longer marketed in Puntland or other federal member states. Business leaders urged the Somaliland President to find a solution to the economic costs of the unresolved conflict. “Puntland does not lose much in the conflict. It maintains trade ties with the rest of Somalia and Ethiopia,” they added.
The business leaders particularly addressed the issue of Ceerigaabo, where Harti residents were forcibly displaced and their property confiscated by militias loyal to the Somaliland administration. “Our business in Puntland can be affected by our indifference to the plight of the people dispossessed and forcibly displaced in Ceerigaabo,” said an influential business leader in Hargeisa with major business interests in Puntland State of Somalia.
“Somaliland’s administration appears to have supported the dispossession and forced displacement suffered by Harti residents in Ceerigaabo. Somaliland political leaders with Western passports could be targeted in their host countries,” said Ali, a lawyer in Garoowe.
© Puntland Post, 2025
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