2nd Former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Endorses Somaliland Statehood
Ambassador Cohen joined the voices of US politicians and civil servants who are content with the statehood of the Republic of Somaliland, and strongly advocating for the full US political recognition of Somaliland.
Following the high-level US delegation that recently visited Somaliland, he wrote the following tweet, another great victory for Somaliland case
U.S. congressional visits to the strategic nation of Somaliland underscore the need to grant independent status to these people, who have little in common with their constitutional partner #Somalia.
— Herman J. Cohen (@CohenOnAfrica) December 22, 2021
Ambassador (ret.) Herman J. Cohen – a retired career diplomat and specialist in African and European affairs – is the President of Cohen and Woods International (CWI) established in 1998. The consulting firm provides strategic planning services to African governments, and multinational corporations doing business in Africa. CWI is the political risk adviser for Africa to the New York firm Contour Global, the leading US private investor in electric power generation in the continent.
Mr. Cohen retired from the US Foreign Service in November 1993. His last position prior to retirement was Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under President George H. W. Bush (1989-1993).
During his 38-year career with the U.S. Foreign Service, he served in five African countries and twice in France. He was the American Ambassador to Senegal, with dual accreditation to the Gambia, from 1977 to 1980. He was Chief of Mission (Chargé d’affairs a.i.) in Zaire (Congo) in 1968-1969.
Dr. Jendayi Frazer – the first former assistant secretary for African Affairs at the US State Department during the Bush administration that believes in Somaliland case – says US should recognize Somaliland and regrets not pushing for it before