Why Somaliland is Not a Breakaway Region, but a De Jure State and Independent Nation

By Mohamed Abdisam

The Republic of Somaliland is an independent country that gained its statehood from the United Kingdom on June 26, 1960.

The anticipated union between the trusted territory of Somalia and the newly independent Somaliland to form the third entity called the Somali Republic did not go as expected.

Instead, Somaliland was annexed and militarily occupied from July 1, 1960, to 1991. Somaliland never lost or forfeited its statehood.

On May 18, 1991, after a long, hard-fought liberation struggle, Somaliland regained its internal sovereignty.

Subsequently, in 2001, Somaliland made a great achievement after completing the constitution referendum with more than 97 percent of the votes, and the ratification of the constitution confirmed Somaliland’s restoration of internal sovereignty.

It also endorsed the multi-political parties that were created to compete in different elections in the Republic of Somaliland.

Therefore, the Republic of Somaliland is not a new country that wants to secede from another African country, and Somaliland does not break both the constitutional law of the African Union and international law.

Moreover, according to international law and the African Union constitution, Somaliland’s boundaries are based on colonial treaties.

The British protectorate established clearly defined borders for Somaliland in the 19th century, and these borders were confirmed upon Somaliland’s declaration of independence on June 26, 1960, and they are the Anglo-French Treaty of 1888, the Anglo-Italian Protocol of 1894, the Anglo-Ethiopian Treaty of 1897, and the South Coast Gulf of Aden.

The unique case for the international re-recognition of Somaliland

The Republic of Somaliland has the strongest case for recognized independence of any territory in the world, and it is time for the African Union and the rest of the world to realize this because its case is different from the secessionist state movement in the world.

In 2005, the African Union sent a fact-finding mission to the Republic of Somaliland, led by the African Union Vice Chairman Patrick Matzikama and including top professionals from the Union’s Military, Peace and Security, Refugees, Humanitarian Affairs, and Police Affairs Departments, and they concluded their study that the fact that the “union between Somaliland and Somalia was never ratified” and also malfunctioned when it went into action from 1960 to 1991 makes Somaliland’s search for recognition historically unique and self-justified in African political history”.

Now it is time for the African Union to listen to the voice of more than 6 million people in Somaliland who have a legal cause and are recovering from the genocide and destruction committed by Somalia under Barre’s dictatorship.

This is a shame for the African Union and the entire international community for neglecting the fate of the people of Somaliland and forcing them to submit to Somalia, which illegally claims sovereignty over the Republic of Somaliland.

Why is the Republic of Somaliland then not yet recognized?

The international community has bought into the fallacy of Somaliland of June 26th, 1960, somehow forfeited its independence and became part of Somalia. How can an independent country be handed over to an Italian Somalia?

As far-fetched as this might sound, the former Somalia Italian UN trusteeship that never gained independence was able to mislead the world Somaliland is one of its regions.

Unfortunately, the subsequent governments of Somaliland, have been unable to debunk this myth that has kept this country isolated and poor. This act constitutes fraud perpetrated against the Republic of Somaliland.

To this day, Somalia continues to use the credentials of Somaliland from June 26 for the UN seat and falsely presents itself as the Republic of Somaliland.

Therefore, the international community must ask themselves the following questions: “Where is the country that obtained independence on June 26, 1960, from Great Britain?” and “Does 26th June belong to Somalia or Somaliland?”

Somaliland is the candle-shining Horn of Africa, with a bright future

The Republic of Somaliland, located in a strategic location in the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, and near Bab El Mandeb, has piqued the interest of major powers like veto-power countries in this maritime strategy, leading to Somaliland exchanging or getting international recognition.

In 2016, the DP World Emirate multinational logistics company based in Dubai invested in Somaliland’s Berbera port with a new economic zone.

This makes the Republic of Somaliland a world-trading ecosystem and the future of the Horn of Africa.

However, on 1 January 2024, the president of the Republic of Somaliland, Muse Bihi Abdi, and prime minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, signed a historic memorandum of understanding (MOU).

This agreement includes provisions for leasing access to a naval base for Ethiopia and marks Ethiopia’s official re-recognition of Somaliland.

The MOU has made global headlines and provoked a strong response from the Somalia administration, which disputes Somaliland’s sovereignty.

Since the Republic of Somaliland and Ethiopia signed the Memorandum of Understanding, turkey has directly supported Somalia by using diplomatic efforts to thwart the MOU.

The talks between Somalia and Ethiopia, led by Turkey, did not outcome any results because Somaliland was absent from the negotiation table, which discussed its fate and violated its territorial integrity.

Nevertheless, the governments of Turkey, Egypt, and Djibouti that support illegal aggression in Somalia claim the fate of more than 6 million Somalilanders.

They must know that the sovereignty of Somaliland is non-negotiable and its statehood is based on June 26, 1960.

To sum up the above evidence, Somaliland has never been part of Italian Somalia, which claims Somaliland as part of their country. Therefore, the agreement between Somaliland and Ethiopia considers only signatories, not by permission of other countries like the Muqdisho administration.

The government of Somaliland and its people reject Somalia’s illegal claims regarding MOU and they are called on the international community Somalia has threatened the peace and stability in the Horn of Africa.

In conclusion, the Republic of Somaliland is not a breakaway region of Somalia; it is a de jure state, and the world must acknowledge that the restoration of Somaliland’s independence is the direct result of the people’s decision, driven by acts of genocide, rape, arrests, torture, bombings, and discrimination committed by Somalia against the people of Somaliland.

The author is one of the Somaliland youths advocating for Somaliland’s recognition and pursuing a master’s degree in procurement and logistics management from Burao University.

Email: Mocarab50@gmail.com

Twitter: @MohamedAbdisam

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