Somaliland’s Buurmadow says he would support reunification with Somalia if Hargeisa became Capital
MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Veteran Somaliland traditional leader Osman Aw Mohamud, widely known as Buurmadow, has proposed that Somaliland should consider reunification with Somalia if a political settlement designates Hargeisa as the national capital, marking one of the clearest public endorsements of conditional unity by a prominent Somaliland figure since the region declared independence in 1991. […]
Black News 
MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Veteran Somaliland traditional leader Osman Aw Mohamud, widely known as Buurmadow, has proposed that Somaliland should consider reunification with Somalia if a political settlement designates Hargeisa as the national capital, marking one of the clearest public endorsements of conditional unity by a prominent Somaliland figure since the region declared independence in 1991.
Buurmadow said reunification would, in his view, represent a more favourable outcome than pursuing international recognition if the settlement placed Hargeisa at the centre of a unified Somali state, allowed the Somali national flag to fly over the city and established a single national government.
He also urged Somaliland’s leadership to open negotiations with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, arguing that the current administration presents the best opportunity in years to reach a durable political agreement between Hargeisa and Mogadishu. He described Hassan Sheikh as more receptive to dialogue with Somaliland than previous Somali presidents and said any agreement should include relocating the national capital to Hargeisa.
The remarks represent a notable departure from Somaliland’s longstanding political position, which has centred on seeking international recognition rather than reunification with Somalia. Since declaring independence in 1991, Somaliland has maintained its own government, legislature, security institutions and currency while operating separately from the federal authorities in Mogadishu, although it remains internationally recognised by the vast majority of states as part of Somalia.
Buurmadow’s proposal has generated significant discussion across Somaliland and Somalia because senior political and traditional leaders in Somaliland have rarely advocated reunification publicly, even on a conditional basis, during more than three decades of self-rule.
Neither Somaliland’s government nor leading traditional institutions have publicly responded to the remarks at the time of publication.
The comments come at a time of renewed debate over Somaliland’s political future and its relationship with Somalia, with both sides continuing to hold fundamentally different positions on the territory’s constitutional status. While Somaliland maintains that its sovereignty is non-negotiable, Somalia’s federal government continues to regard the region as an integral part of the Somali state.
Although Buurmadow’s proposal does not constitute an official policy shift, his intervention introduces an influential voice into one of the Horn of Africa’s most consequential political questions and is likely to intensify debate over whether future dialogue should focus on recognition, reunification or an alternative political settlement.
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