- Since it
declared independence from Somalia in 1991, Somaliland has developed
into one of the Horn of Africa’s most prosperous and stable democracies.
Despite having its own flag, parliament, currency and national
identity, Somaliland’s lack of international recognition as an
independent state has brought extra challenges for the country in
dealing with the issues that unfortunately characterise the region. This
includes difficulties receiving aid and relief work, which puts their
population at risk in times of natural disasters and droughts as well as
severely limiting opportunities for economic development. Although
Somaliland has an exceptional record in fighting piracy and
fundamentalist groups such as Al-Shabaab, the extreme poverty and lack
of opportunities make terrorist groups more appealing to desperate young
people. Thus, the recognition of Somaliland is an essential step to
ensuring the country’s continued development as well as the stability of
the region. In reality, Somaliland’s main obstacle is not the world’s
animosity, but its indifference.
Background
Since the declaration of its
independence at the beginning of 1991, Somaliland has experienced an
extraordinary history of persecution, destruction and extreme poverty.
Many of these problems are directly related and worsened by Somaliland’s
status as unrecognised by the international community. Despite the many
challenges, Somaliland has admirably managed to develop into a
prospering and politically stable democracy.
Somaliland and Somalia were two separate
colonial states. In 1884, Britain established the British Somaliland
Protectorate., while Somalia was colonised by Italy. For Italy, colonies
were a question of national pride and the country was seeking
assimilation of the territories. British Somaliland on the other hand
was of marginal importance to the huge British Empire and was primarily
used as a logistical outpost. The British colonial system was largely
leaving traditional orders intact. The colonial legacies of Somaliland
and Somalia are therefore significantly different.
On 26 June 1960, Britain granted
independence to the people of Somaliland. Somaliland’s independence was
instantly recognised by more than 34 countries, including the five
permanent members of the UN Security Council. However, shortly after
independence, Somaliland decided to voluntarily enter into a union with
newly-independent Somalia. The union proved disastrous for Somaliland.
Its political structure failed to recognise the decentralised nature of
the region’s pluralistic and diverse clan systems. To the disadvantage
of Somaliland, almost all key-political and economic opportunities were
centred in Somalia.
In 1969, Siad Barre took power in a military coup d'état.
After growing increasingly repressive, opposition grew and the
Somaliland National Movement (SNM) was formed in 1981 to resist Barres
tyrannical rule. In retaliation, Barre ordered a crack-down on
Somaliland, which took the lives of tens of thousands of civilians.
After 9 years of civil war, Barre was overthrown in 1991 and Somaliland
was able to declare its independence once again.
Current Political Situation
Today, Somaliland is stable. With little
foreign help, it has made considerable progress in the consolidation of
statehood. Somaliland has had a number of peaceful transitions of power
through elections for both parliament and presidency. On the most
recent presidential election in 2017, although experiencing some degree
of post-election disturbances, an international Election Observation
Mission reported that they were “pleased to have observed an election which has seen Somaliland show its democratic spirit” and congratulated the National Electoral Commission on a “well-run poll.”[1] The next parliamentary and local elections are scheduled for March 2019.
At present, Somaliland is currently
living up to all criteria of the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and
Duties of States: it has a permanent population, a defined territory, a
government and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.
In line with other African precedents and with the African Union (AU)’s
principle of “respect[ing] the borders existing on (…) achievement of independence”[2]
Somaliland seeks the re-recognition of its independence, urging the
international community to recognise its decision to leave the voluntary
union with Somalia.
Problems associated with the lack of international recognition
Somaliland continues to suffer
significantly from non-recognition. Despite the many obstacles, it has
managed to create a de-facto independent country with a functioning
democracy and a growing private sector economy. However, Somaliland is
still facing considerable economic challenges. This is despite a
significant wealth in natural resources and a coastal line offering
opportunities for tourism, fishery and attractive intercontinental
trade. Developing Somaliland’s industries requires investments. Because
of its status as an unrecognised state, Somaliland cannot sign
agreements with multilateral donors such as the World Bank or the
International Monetary Fund. Opportunities such as bilateral agreements
on trade and humanitarian aid are also severely limited. This means that
Somaliland is particularly vulnerable to humanitarian disasters such as
drought and famine, both of which have frequently hit the region in
recent years.
Although Somaliland has achieved
significant results in coping with political violence, terrorism and
piracy, the lack of recognition puts at risk its economic and political
future. Non-recognition has also impacted the status of women, since it
might open the opportunity of influence from ultra conservative and
fundamentalist forces. The stability of the region is essential for
securing development, respect for human rights and the effective fight
against international evils of terrorism, human trafficking and piracy.
As outlined, Somaliland is a de-facto
state fulfilling all the criteria set out in international conventions
on statehood. This is an increasingly being recognised by the
international community and prominent people such as the Vice President
of the Atlantic Council and Director of the Africa Center, Mr J. Peter
Pham. Mr Pham underlines that a reincorporation of Somaliland into
Somalia would only create even greater conflict in the region, due to
the chaos that characterizes southern and central Somalia, as well as
the demographic reality of the majority of the population Somaliland
never having known anything else but independence.[3]
With the admirable progress the country has already made, as well as
the increasing support they are receiving from the international
community, the recognition of Somaliland is an essential part in the
positive development of the country and the region as a whole.
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