A breakaway territory conducts a free fair and peaceful election

The opposition leader of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, has won the territory’s presidential election. He defeated incumbent Musa Abdi Bihi. For a breakaway territory to conduct free and fair elections and to abide by the results in that part of the world is commendable, says Professor John Mukum Mbaku, nonresident senior fellow at The Brookings Institution here in Washington. However, in talking to Africa News Tonight Host Yeheyes Wuhib he says Somaliland’s new leader will have to grapple with the diplomatic fallout over a deal to lease landlocked Ethiopia a 20km section of its coastline for 50 years to set up a naval base.