Somaliland: A Roadmap to Recognition
A Report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Somaliland
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Somaliland was formed with the goal of promoting an understanding of and support for Somaliland achievements in building peace, democratic governance and a sovereign state in the Horn of Africa. It is chaired by the Rt Hon Sir Gavin Williamson CBE MP, with Kim Johnson MP as co-chair, Abtisam Mohamed MP as vice chair and Lord Udny-Lister as an officer.
Somaliland is not Somalia. Over the last 34 years, Somaliland has built a stable and democratic society against the odds. However, the world refuses to recognize Somaliland as an independent nation.
Recognizing Somaliland is beneficial for the West, for Somaliland PEOPLE, and for peace and stability in the Horn of Africa.
Somaliland should be granted recognition for the following reasons:
- Recognizing Somaliland is beneficial on a commercial level
- Recognizing Somaliland is beneficial on a strategic level
- Recognizing Somaliland is beneficial on a moral level
The United Kingdom is particularly well-placed to lead the way in recognizing Somaliland due to its historical relationship with the country as well as its status as UN Pen-holder on Somalia. Somaliland was recognized in 1960 and after failed attempts at unification with Somalia, deserved re-recognition when it re-established independence in 1991. The next best time to recognize Somaliland is now.
The world is a more volatile place than it was yesterday. This phrase has become a staple of political speeches and op-eds, and for good reason: the world order, from its power players to the very way we conduct diplomacy, has irreversibly shifted. While the UK has met challenges such as the war in Ukraine with boldness and agility, many aspects of its foreign policy remain out of kilter with this rapidly changing world. One such area is its stance on Somaliland.
Somaliland is a former British protectorate of roughly 3.5 million people that became independent from Britain in 1960 and, following failed attempts at a union with Somalia to create what became an unwieldy “Greater Somalia” – resulting in 30 years of generally oppressive and unsatisfactory union – re-established its independence from Somalia in 1991.
Since then, it has built good governance, held democratic elections, and become a bastion of stability in the region. It has all the trappings not only of a sovereign nation, but of a stable, democratic nation – and yet, like most of the world, the United Kingdom refuses to recognize Somaliland as an independent state.
This position has become increasingly harder to justify in light of the Horn of Africa’s growing geopolitical significance, and from a pragmatic view, recognizing Somaliland simply makes sense. It is located on the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a choke-point for maritime trade, and is home to the rapidly developing Port of Berbera. It also possesses vast untapped reserves of natural resources such as oil, both onshore and offshore.
From a strategic perspective, Somaliland is an ally in a region where friends are few and far between. It has fought hard against the odds to build stable, democratic governance; has withstood the lure of China’s debt diplomacy and has been a reliable partner in the fights against both terrorism and piracy. Within the current geopolitical realities of a multipolar world order, where consensus across the international community is difficult to obtain and diverse “coalitions of the willing” have become the essential norm, an independent Somaliland would be a strategic Global South coalition partner for the UK.
But recognizing Somaliland also makes sense from a moral point of view. To recognize Somaliland is to reward its efforts to build a stable democracy – to stand up for western democratic values and what we believe is right. Similarly, recognizing Somaliland entails recognizing the atrocities committed during the Somaliland genocide, the right of Somaliland PEOPLE to security and justice, and the right to self-determination. In this light, the recognition of Somaliland should not be a question of “if”, but a question of “when”.
This report will start by outlining Somaliland history and its search for recognition, from the days of British Somaliland to recent rumors that the United States will grant recognition. The following sections will examine the economic, strategic and moral arguments cases for recognition and will suggest that recognizing Somaliland is the right thing for the United Kingdom to do from both a moral and a realpolitik standpoint. The penultimate section will demonstrate that the United Kingdom is particularly well-placed to show leadership on this issue due to its unique relationship with Somaliland.