The body of an employee of Somalia’s aviation authority found dead in Mogadishu earlier this month was flown to Somaliland on Saturday for burial.
Abdinasir Muse Abdurrahman was found dead at his apartment in the capital.
He worked for the Somali Civil Aviation Authority.
Police said his body showed signs of strangulation and announced the arrest of several suspects as investigations continued.
Abdurrahman, who hailed from Gabiley in Somaliland, was a Chevening scholar.
His death came amid a tussle between Somalia’s federal government and Somaliland over the control of airspace.
The row escalated following a Jan. 1 deal between Somaliland and Ethiopia that could see Addis Ababa lease a strip of Somaliland’s coast for 50 years.
Mogadishu condemned the agreement as an attempt by Ethiopia to annex part of Somalia’s territory.
It is not clear whether the man’s death was linked to an ongoing dispute between Somalia and Somaliland over control of airspace, which has been a source of tension between the two sides for years.
It is also not known whether it is connected to the Somalia-Ethiopia standoff, which worsened the row over the airspace control.
Somalia claims that it has the sole authority to control the country’s airspace, while Somaliland argues that it has the right to manage its own airspace as a separate entity.
The disagreement has led to conflicting air traffic control regulations and increased competition for airspace management.
In recent years, the situation has escalated with both sides attempting to assert their authority over the airspace.
Somalia has sought to control flights operating in and out of Somaliland’s airports, while Somaliland has set up its own air traffic control services and demanded recognition of its sovereignty over airspace.
The dispute has had significant implications for the aviation industry in the region, with airlines facing uncertainty and potential disruptions to their operations.
Efforts to resolve the issue through diplomatic means have so far been unsuccessful, and the situation remains unresolved.
The international community has called for dialogue and a peaceful resolution to the dispute, recognizing the importance of stable and secure airspace for the economic development of the region.
However, the complex nature of the dispute and the entrenched positions of both sides continue to pose challenges to finding a resolution.
