Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London, (Tigray Herald).
Somaliland: The African Nation That Isn’t But Might Soon Be
By Tesema Nadow
There is a country in the Horn of Africa that has its on government, currency, military, and democratic elections. Its airports function. Its streets are safer than many of its neighbors’. And yet, on paper and in the eyes of the world it doesn’t exist.
That country is Somaliland, and if recent developments in Washington are any indicator, that status quo may be on the verge of a historic shift.
Earlier this month, U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill proposing the formal recognition of Somaliland as an independent nation a move that, if passed, would shatter decades of international consensus and redraw diplomatic maps across Africa. While it remains unclear how far the proposal will go, its symbolic power is undeniable: the United States is publicly entertaining the idea that a functioning, unrecognized state deserves recognition based on merit not political inertia.
A State in Everything but Name
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, following the collapse of the Siad Barre regime and a brutal civil war. Since then, it has steadily built the institutions of statehood without the civil war, piracy, or Islamic extremism that have plagued Somalia to the south. It has held multiple peaceful elections, transferred power democratically, and remained remarkably stable in a region marked by volatility.
Its capital, Hargeisa, is not a failed city. It’s a functioning, bustling metropolis. Its parliament debates laws. Its military defends its borders. And its people, while deeply proud of their Somali heritage, are even prouder of their de facto independence an independence built through sweat, not slogans.
Yet, for over three decades, no country has officially recognized Somaliland’s statehood. The African Union, wary of setting a secessionist precedent, has urged internal dialogue with Mogadishu instead. But dialogue has largely gone nowhere, and the Somali federal government continues to insist that Somaliland is simply a rebellious province, even as its own authority remains fragile in parts of southern Somalia.
Why Is the U.S. Moving Now?
The United States’ sudden openness to recognizing Somaliland is not altruistic it is strategic. The Horn of Africa sits on one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a chokepoint for global trade. As China deepens its military and economic presence in neighboring Djibouti, Washington is eyeing alternative regional allies and Somaliland, with its Berbera port and U.S.-friendly disposition, looks increasingly attractive.
Somaliland already hosts a UAE military base and has signed infrastructure deals with DP World. American policymakers now see a geopolitical opportunity: reward a functioning democracy, counter China’s growing influence, and establish a reliable security partner in a volatile region.
The proposed legislation titled the “Republic of Somaliland Independence Act” argues that Somaliland meets the criteria of statehood under international law: a defined territory, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.
And indeed, Somaliland has done all that without international aid dependency or military occupation.
The Risks of Recognition
But recognition is not without risk. It could destabilize Somalia further, embolden other separatist movements across Africa, and put the U.S. at odds with the African Union, which has long held that colonial borders must remain inviolable. Critics fear a domino effect: if Somaliland is recognized, what’s to stop Biafra, Azawad, or Ambazonia from demanding the same?
But that fear assumes equivalence and ignores Somaliland’s unique track record.
Unlike many other secessionist entities, Somaliland has not been at war for decades. It has not harbored terrorists. It has not collapsed. It has built a functioning democracy under harsh conditions and arguably outperformed many recognized states in the region, including Somalia itself.
A Reality Check for Africa’s Borders
Whether the U.S. bill passes or not, it forces a long-overdue conversation: should sovereignty be a reward for performance, or a legacy of arbitrary lines drawn in colonial conference rooms?
Africa’s post-independence orthodoxy”no redrawing of borders” was born out of a desire to avoid endless conflict. But as decades pass, that logic is being tested by reality. If a region can govern itself peacefully, provide for its citizens, and contribute to regional stability, doesn’t it deserve recognition, regardless of colonial borders?
Somaliland’s case may well be the first major challenge to that doctrine in the 21st century.
A Country That’s Already Here
Whether or not Washington recognizes it, Somaliland already behaves like a state. The world’s hesitation to admit that reflects less on Somaliland’s legitimacy and more on the international community’s fear of rewriting maps.
Recognition may not come today. Or tomorrow. But with every peaceful election, every law passed in Hargeisa, and every young Somaliland student who grows up under a flag the world still calls imaginary, the fiction of nonexistence becomes harder to maintain.
And one day, even the world may finally admit what Somalis in the north have known for decades:
