Somaliland: The Case For De-Jure Recognition
Somaliland become an independent country on 26th June, 1960 with defined borders and was recognized by more than 34 countries including all the then super powers.
Somaliland is demanding to reinstate its original borders from June 26th, 1960. Nothing more nothing less.
The union to form the defunct Somali Republic failed and Somaliland has withdrawn, just like Senegal and Gambia, just like Egypt and Syria did from the United Arab Republic, just like Czech and Slovakia.
Somaliland’s case is not one of “secessionist”, like Biafra in Nigeria or Katanga in the Congo Democratic Republic, Casamance in Senegal, nor Cabinda in Angola.
It was exactly like the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar which formed the still existing Tanzania. With two exceptions, the union to form the defunct “Somali Republic” was never ratified and it’s constitution was overwhelmingly rejected in Somaliland.
This sovereign independent nation, Somaliland, formed a union with another independent nation, Somalia, with the hope of uniting all the five Somali regions in the Horn of Africa; Djibouti, Hawd & Ogaden and the Northern Frontier District.
That vision was not realized and subsequently the union become unbalanced, unjust and eventually led to a civil war which ended in 1991.
Somaliland has since then been a de-facto state awaiting de-jure recognition. That in a nutshell, is the Somaliland case.
Ahmed Kheyre
