More than 30 years after unilaterally declared independence from Somalia, Somaliland still seeks international recognition as a sovereign nation. Despite a lack of formal approval, Breakaway State has built a relatively stable governance system. This has led to increased interest from global authority, including the United States. As regional dynamics change and great power competition intensifies, bids for Somaliland’s recognition are gaining new currency. Alexi Irenen studies politics in the Horn of Africa and explores Somaliland’s perceptions. He unpacks what he’s playing with.
What legal and historical arguments does Somaliland use?
The Somali National Movement is one of the major family-based rebellion movements responsible for the collapse of Somali’s central government. It claims the territory of Somaliland’s former British guardians. The UK recognized Somaliland’s sovereign status on June 26, 1960.
The Somali government has sought to block the call for withdrawal. Between 1987 and 1989, it coordinated the brutal murders of hundreds of thousands of people in northern Somalia.
However, the Somali national movement declared unilateral independence on May 18, 1991, and separated from Somali.
The collapse of the Somali regime in 1991 left the main enemy of the movement away. This led to violent power struggles among the various militias.
This only subsided after politician Mohamed Egal integrated his powers. He was elected president of Somaliland in May 1993.
Egal made business with merchants and businessmen and gave them taxes and commercial incentives to accept his sponsorship. As a result, he acquired economic means to integrate political power and pursue peace and state building. That’s what his successor has been catching up since his death in 2002.
What did Somaliland do to seek recognition?
The successive Somaliland governments continue to engage in informal diplomacy. They line up with the West, which was the dominant post-Cold War power, especially the United States, and former colonial masters of Britain. Both countries hold important Somaliland diaspora communities.
For decades, the US and the UK have been cheating on the idea of recognizing Somaliland, which considers strategic partners. However, they were repeatedly thrown back by their respective Somali policies. These have supported empowering the widely supported Mogadishu government to reaffirm its authority and control over Somali territory.
This Somali policy has been increasingly questioned in recent years, partly due to Mogadishu’s security challenges. In contrast, the Hargesa government in Somaliland has largely shown that it can provide security and stability. It faces political resistance and armed opposition, which has been elected over the past 30 years and survived as a state.
Read more: Somaliland Election: At risk due to independence, stability and changing power dynamics in the Horn of Africa
As new global forces rise, the Somaliland administration pursues an increasingly diverse foreign policy, with one goal: international recognition.
Hargeisa hosts consulates and representative offices such as Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Taiwan, the UK and the European Union.
The government is also engaged in informal diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates. The Middle Eastern Monarchy serves as a business hub and destination for livestock exports. Many Somali Landers move there.
Somaliland maintains a representative office in several countries. These include Canada, the US, Norway, Sweden, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Taiwan. Hargeisa has alienated China as he has been working with Taiwan since 2020. Taiwan is the island of self-lulu, which China advocates.
On January 1, 2024, Somaliland’s resignation President Müsbich signed a memorandum of understanding with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on increasing cooperation. Bihi implied that Ethiopia would become the first country to formally recognize Somaliland. The deal caused a sharp deterioration in the relationship between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu.
Abiy later eased his position and reconciled with Somali counterpart, President Hassan Mohamud, through Turkish mediation.
What’s behind us to Somaliland?
The US, like other great powers, is interested in Somaliland because of its strategic location. It is located on the African coast of the Gulf of Aden, across from the Arabian Peninsula. Its geographical status recently won currency as Yemeni Houthi rebels attack maritime traffic on busy shipping lanes. Somaliland is also well located to curb copyright infringement and smuggling on this global trade route.
The US Africa Command established the Main Horn Base in Africa in 2002 in Camp Le Monnier, Djibouti. This followed the attack on September 11th, 2001.
Read more: Exploring Somaliland’s Perception: British Debate Provides Tips for Change in the Ocean
In 2017, China, which had become the main foreign economic force of the Horn of Africa, established a naval support facility in Djibouti. This has encouraged close cooperation between the US and Somaliland authorities. The US played with the idea of establishing a base in Belbera, hosting Somaliland’s largest port.
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Donald Trump’s 2024 victory in the US presidential election reported an increase in Somaliland’s push for US awareness. This will allow the US to deepen its trade and security partnerships in the unstable corner of the African region.
Since March 2025, representatives of the Trump administration have been engaged in consultations with Somaliland officials to establish a US military base near Belbera. This is in exchange for Somaliland’s official but partial recognition.
What are the risks of US perceptions in Somaliland?
Our stronger involvement with Somaliland risks neglecting Somali.
Mogadishu relies on external military aid in the fight against Al-Shabaab, a moving forward violent Islamic extremist group. It also faces an increase in rebellion from two federal regions: Pantoland and Jubaland.
American perception will reward Hargeisa for its sustained efforts to maintain stability and promote democracy. However, other countries can be encouraged to recognize Somaliland. This will hit the Somali nationalists who want one state for all Somalis.
Alexi Irenen, Professor, International University of America
