Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo led the country in celebrating the 57th independence anniversary of the northern regions with a call for the reunification of the country. The ceremony held in Mogadishu was attended by top officials of the federal government and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), among them, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, and AMISOM Force Commander, Lt. General Osman Noor Soubagleh.

On June 26, 1960, British Somaliland became independent followed by the Italian Somaliland a few days later, culminating in the unification of the two regions in July 1, 1960, to form the Republic of Somalia.  However, Somaliland broke off from Somalia in 1991 following the collapse of the Siad Barre regime. Speaking at the ceremony, President Farmaajo called for the reunification of the federal republic of Somalia and Somaliland, saying the move would make the country great again.

Emphasizing the historical significance of the day, the head of state urged Somalis to put aside their differences and unite for the betterment of the present and future generations. “Brothers attending these celebrations, I am urging our brothers in the northern regions (Somaliland), the youth, the elderly, men and women that it is our responsibility to regain our nationhood and unity of our country. We have to go beyond our recent painful and ugly history, to have a better future,” President Farmaajo observed. He noted that Somalia has had a chequered post-independence history, characterized by both prosperity and destruction, with the latter having devastating effects on the country, due to the pro-longed civil war that lasted more than a decade.