The breakaway republic of Somaliland has requested the African heads at the AU summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to officially recognize the independence of Somaliland.

The request has reportedly infuriated the Somali government representatives at the summit. The AU summit would be formally open on Monday, while Sudan and Somalia would be the top priority in the African Union summit. 

The Somali president Abdullahi Yusuf, who he arrived at the summit in Addis Ababa, told journalists that his transitional government would be engaged in peaceful dialog with the secessionist government of Somaliland when the rest of Somalia was tenable and peaceful. “My government will not bother Somaliland until we successfully restore peace and security to Somalia,” he told the press.

Diplomatic sources said that the executive council committee of the African Union, which convened in Addis Ababa on Thursday, was amazed when Rwandan foreign minister put on the table an agenda calling that Somaliland should be recognized formally by the AU countries. 

The initiative has promptly angered the Somali envoys who asked that the subject regarding Somaliland should not be discussed at the moment.

One of the Somali government representatives has argued that Somaliland did not even have the right to be present at the meeting. He said, Somaliland is not internationally recognized.”

Steven Mwayungi, the AU envoy for Somaliland, has told London based paper Alsharqalawsat that Somaliland had the right to show itself and ask the international community for recognition of its independence after 16 years of being separate from the rest of Somalia.

He indicated that it would not reasonable for Somaliland to unite the rest of Somalia to find so-called Greater Somalia.