Since 1991, Somaliland has been a self-governing breakaway state within the nation of Somalia. The area has a distinct history from the rest of Somalia, and was a British protectorate while the other regions were under Italian rule. After Britain pulled out in 1960, it was briefly an independent state, before merging with the rest of Somalia just five days later. However, Somaliland’s different history led to decades of tensions, which ultimately crescendoed in the rebel Somali National Movement overthrowing Somalia’s government and the signing of a declaration of independence in 1991.
Ever since, Somaliland has sought formal recognition from other countries, to no avail. That was until last year, when Israel became the first UN member nation to officially recognize it as an independent state. Energized by this breakthrough, Somaliland’s government is now chasing recognition from a real global power: the United States. Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi — better known as “Irro” — has been in D.C. since September 6 wheeling and dealing as he looks to build support for his nation’s cause. And he’s willing to sweeten the pot to make things happen.
The state is located right on the Gulf of Aden near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — an area that has become particularly important as the war in Iran drags on. Somaliland’s allyship in the region was a major factor in gaining recognition from Israel, and it's hoping the same promise of cooperation could coax U.S. recognition. The two already have an existing military relationship, and while the U.S. does have access to the Gulf of Aden through its base in Djibouti (its largest base in Africa), that nation is increasingly coming under Chinese influence, and the U.S. might want a back-up. But before offering greater military access, Somaliland is looking to win favour by offering U.S. investors access to its port and its potential mineral riches. And, in a direct appeal to known megalomaniac Donald Trump, Irro has even teased that Somaliland could name an airport after the president or build a Trump Tower in the capital of Hargeisa.
It should be noted that Somaliland has many of the bona fides of a ‘real’ country. It holds its own elections (which are typically considered to be free and fair), it has its own armed forces, its own currency, and its own passports. Generally speaking, it’s a lot more stable than the rest of Somalia. So why are countries so reluctant to recognize it?
Some fear that official recognition could inspire other disgruntled states in Africa to launch their own breakaway campaigns, causing undue disruption and unrest across the continent. It would also be a betrayal of Somalia, an actual UN member, that hardly needs another crisis. There is also a widely held belief that recognition should first come from the African Union, a group that has more authority over what constitutes an African nation. And, thus far, the bloc has ignored Somaliland’s membership petition for two decades.
Right now, U.S. recognition is still unlikely to happen, even though the state has some powerful supporters on Capitol Hill. Hopes were high last year after Israeli recognition and a Trump spat with Somalia, but the moment may have passed — a belief that was reaffirmed in July when the U.S. reaffirmed “the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Somalia. There could still be years of building its relationship with the U.S. to come, and proving itself as a useful ally in the Middle East. And, even if the U.S. were to recognize it, that doesn’t mean global recognition would immediately follow. It’s not like the U.S. and Israel have exactly acted in line with the rest of the UN as of late.
