Around the world, many territories are vying for independence and international recognition. Few of these, like Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia in 1991, have a stronger claim for international recognition. By all accounts, it satisfies every requirement to become a state. It also enjoys considerable international sympathy. And yet after three decades, it remains completely unrecognized.
Somaliland is a self-declared state, recognized only as an autonomous region of Somalia. Despite its de-facto independence, it is not recognized as a sovereign nation by any single country. The Somaliland government asserts that it meets most of the requirements of a sovereign democratic state: it holds free and fair elections, has its own currency and security forces, and issues its own passports. But today, despite its lack of international recognition, Somaliland is among the most intriguing secession cases in contemporary global politics.
Situated on the Gulf of Aden coast in the Horn of Africa, it has fully functioned as a sovereign state for the last three decades. Despite maintaining relationships with other nations, its attempts to get recognition from the global community have been unsuccessful. Thus, this article aims to explore, despite meeting the necessary criteria for statehood, why is Somaliland forced to struggle for formal international recognition.
The territory first gained global attention in the late 19th century, when the area fell under British colonial rule, becoming the British Somaliland protectorate in 1884. This set it apart from neighboring Italian Somaliland, which was to the east and south of it. As Britain withdrew from its empire, the decision was made to grant the territory independence, and on June 26, 1960, the state of Somaliland came into existence. More than 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, immediately recognized it. The new country, though, did not last long. After a few days, on July 1, 1960, the Trust Territory of Somalia (the former Italian Somalia) and the State of Somaliland voluntarily joined to become independent, officially forming the Somali Republic. Once the country was unified, there was much celebration, but relations between Somalia and Somaliland soon soured. Following its merger with the Somali Republic, the residents of Somaliland felt that their region was being deliberately ignored and marginalized by the central administration in Mogadishu and that their matters and interests were not being sufficiently handled by Somali authorities. Due to these concerns, on May 18, 1991, Somaliland unilaterally opted to secede from Somalia.
Over the three decades since it seceded from Somalia, Somaliland has successfully solidified its position. It has been so generally acknowledged that it satisfies the requirements for statehood outlined in the Montevideo Convention. First, it has a defined territory and has kept control of it. Cities such as Hargeisa Berbera, and Burao are also part of this delineated territory. Second, it clearly has a settled population. According to the most recent estimates, the current population of Somaliland is in the region of 6.2 million people. Third, one of its main selling points is its stable government. In stark contrast to the political chaos that has existed in Somalia for much of the past thirty years, Somaliland has long been a bastion of calm and stability. Crucially its government is fully independent. There is no suspicion that it is merely a proxy for another power. The fourth criterion is the ability to enter into relations with other states, the situation is especially interesting. Compared to many other completely unrecognized states, Somaliland is more accepted internationally. Even beyond its borders, it has forged some degree of political contact with Sweden and the United Kingdom. Besides, it also has representative offices established in the US as well as some European and African nations.
Despite its achievements, Somaliland is not yet recognized by any international and regional institutions like the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU). Also, both the AU and the US cling to the fiction that Somaliland is a part of the broken state of Somalia. The AU’s insistence that the continent’s colonial borders should remain unchanged is arguably the biggest obstacle keeping all African nations from recognizing Somaliland. Apart from that, the AU wants both parts of the country to be split to agree. However, Somalia refuses to recognize the independence of Somaliland. Furthermore, the union is reluctant to support these kinds of secession initiatives. Union believes that, these kinds of secession movements may spark unpredictably different secession dynamics throughout the continent.
Recently, Somaliland has struck a major port investment deal with Ethiopia, which is ready to recognize this breakaway state, in exchange for a long-held desire for access to the Red Sea through its Berbera Port. Somalia, which considers Somaliland as part of its own territory, has been angered by the deal and sees it as a breach of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Over the deal, Somalia also has the support of several countries and different organizations that urged Ethiopia to respect Mogadishu’s sovereignty. Alternatively, Somaliland is asserting its right to self-determination and sovereignty. It believes that the deal, in which Ethiopia promises to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state will unlock significant political and economic benefits. In such a situation, Somalia should recognize the sovereignty of Somaliland in order to bring this years-long conflict to a logical end and for the good of the people of both countries. Lastly, it is also imperative for global powers to abandon their historical approach and contribute meaningfully to the region’s stability and growth, enabling the African people, who have been deprived of a better life, to finally experience it.
