Ethiopian Airlines & FlyDubai Face Ultimatum from Somaliland to Restore Its Name
Somaliland government has given Ethiopian Airlines and Flydubai a three-week grace period to restore the Somaliland on flights to Hargeisa and Berbera in their platforms.
This came in a statement issued by the Civil Aviation and Airports Authority in Somaliland, but the statement did not mention the action that would be taken against the two companies in the event of their failure to comply with this order.
Ethiopian Airlines and Flydubai recently complied with an order from the Somali government in Mogadishu to remove the name Somaliland from their websites and replace it with Somalia when referring to cities in Somaliland on their flights there, after the federal government threatened to withdraw the two companies’ licenses if they did not comply within three days.
The two companies’ compliance with the Somali government’s instructions angered the Somaliland authorities, who considered this a violation of what they called their independence, and began demanding that they re-register their name on the flights they operate to its cities.
Somaliland has a population of 5.7 million, has its own constitution, passport, army and currency, a government and president, and regular direct elections, yet its lack of international recognition has been an obstacle to accessing the funding and assistance it needs to achieve economic development.
On June 26, 1960, Somaliland, located in the north, gained its independence from Britain. The people of the region voluntarily decided to join the south to achieve the dream of “Greater Somalia.” Unity between the south and the north was announced on July 1 of the same year, immediately after the south gained its independence
But the determination and endeavor of the Somali National Movement led a military rebellion in 1988 to demand the dissolution of Somali Republic, and violence erupted with the Somalia government, leading to the displacement and killing of hundreds and the destruction of cities, which deepened the gap between the south and the north.
After the collapse of the central government in Somalia in 1991, Somaliland unilaterally dissolved its with Somalia and declared the restoration of its independence on May 18 of the same year, but it has not yet received any international or regional recognition