President Museveni on Saturday said he had “agreed to take on the role of peace facilitator between the two” after meeting a Somaliland government envoy in the Ugandan city of Entebbe.

He said Uganda did not support the breakaway republic’s secession “because strategically, it is wrong”.

But in a statement, Somaliland's foreign ministry said that any talks with the government in Mogadishu “will not discuss unification, but rather how the two previously united countries can move forward separately”.

“Therefore, the Republic of Somaliland once again confirms to the African Union and the rest of the international community that it has no plans for dialogue to discuss unity with Somalia”, it added.

Somaliland unilaterally declared independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991 and has since been unsuccessfully seeking international recognition.

Talks between the two sides have been on and off for years, with discussions ranging from airspace management and cross-border movements to Somaliland’s demand for recognition as an independent state.