Somaliland and Puntland, once-warring territories in northern Somalia, have unprecedentedly agreed in principle to work together to tackle common security threats.

Troops from both entities have clashed over disputed borderlands in the past. They also differ over the issue of sovereignty: Somaliland unilaterally declared independence in 1991, and Puntland, while asserting a degree of autonomy, recognizes Mogadishu as its own, and Somaliland’s, capital.

“You can’t choose your neighbours, whether it is a region or state; for this reason, from now on, we are going to work with the Puntland state of Somalia, in terms of security of the [Horn of Africa] region,” Somaliland’s Interior Minister, Mohamed Abdi Gabose, said on 26 September in the Somaliland capital, Hargeisa.

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About 200 suspected rebels surrounded by Somaliland’s forces near the border with Ethiopia, a Somaliland minister has said.

Interior Minister Mohamed Abdi Gabose told the BBC the men had arrived in the territory by boat and then travelled overland to the border.

He said documents the men left behind suggest they belong to the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF).

Somaliland has declared its independence from the rest of Somalia.

Its secession has not been internationally recognised but is far more stable than the rest of the country and in July held an election which saw a peaceful handover of power.

Mr Gabose said the armed group were surrounded in the mountainous region which borders Ethiopia and Djibouti.

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The Republic of Honduras has formally recognized Kosovo on Friday as an independent and sovereign state. The decision on recognition was passed on to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Skender Hyseni by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Honduras, Mr. Mario Canahuati.

During a long and warm talk between Ministers Hyseni and Canahuati, they also agreed to commence without delay proceedings on establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Minister Hyseni expressed the gratitude on behalf of the people and the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo and underlined the commitment of Kosovo to building cooperation and close relations with Honduras.

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Armed Basque separatist group Eta says it will not “carry out armed actions” in its campaign for independence.

In a video obtained exclusively by the BBC, the group said it took the decision several months ago “to put in motion a democratic process”.

The Spanish government has not responded. In the past it has said it will only negotiate with Eta if it renounces violence and disarms.

Eta’s violent campaign has led to more than 820 deaths over the past 40 years.

It has called two ceasefires in the past, but abandoned them both.

Under pressure

It is unclear whether Eta is declaring a permanent or temporary ceasefire.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk … orld-europe-11191395

The Polisario Front expressed Monday condemnation of Moroccan new brutal repression against dozens of unarmed Sahrawi citizens, including activists of human rights, simply because peacefully demanding their right to self-determination and independence.

The Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, president of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, has called, in a letter to Mr. Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary general, to “take an urgent action to ensure the protection of human rights in the occupied Western Sahara, including an effective UN mechanism for this purpose.”

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