Somaliland renews call for international recognition, cites history, democracy and stability

Africa

HARGEISA, Somaliland (NPA) — The Official Spokesman to the President of the Republic of Somaliland, Hussein Deyr, has renewed calls for international recognition of Somaliland, arguing that the territory has established and sustained the institutions and characteristics of a functioning state for decades.

Deyr, a former Minister of Trade and Investment, made the case in a statement issued on Tuesday titled “Reasons Why Somaliland Merits International Recognition.”

He said Somaliland was not asking the international community to create a new state, but to recognise one that its people had “built, sustained and defended for decades.”

According to Deyr, Somaliland’s case for recognition rests on seven key arguments: its historical statehood, the will of its people, functioning state institutions, a record of peace, democratic political culture, effective state capacity and the strategic opportunities that recognition could create.

On historical statehood, he noted that the Republic of Somaliland was an independent sovereign state on June 26, 1960, with defined borders and institutions before entering a union with Somalia.

He said the will of the people had been demonstrated through democratic processes and constitutional referenda, which he argued had consistently affirmed Somalilanders’ right to determine their political future.

Deyr also pointed to Somaliland’s functioning institutions, constitutional governance and peaceful political transitions over more than three decades as evidence of an established state.

On peace and democracy, he said Somaliland had built stability through locally led reconciliation, dialogue and institutions, while competitive elections, peaceful transfers of power and constitutional politics had become defining features of its political system.

He further argued that Somaliland possessed the essential attributes of effective statehood, including territory, population, government, public authority and the capacity to conduct international relations.

Deyr said international recognition would formalise what he described as an existing political reality while creating greater opportunities for peace, regional security, trade, investment and strategic cooperation in the Horn of Africa.

“The Republic of Somaliland is not asking the world to create a new state. It is asking the world to recognise one that its people have built, sustained and defended for decades,” he said.

Somaliland’s renewed push for recognition comes amid its expanding diplomatic engagement, including growing ties with Israel.

In June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi in Jerusalem during the Somaliland leader’s official state visit to Israel.

According to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu and Abdullahi held a private meeting before leading a broader bilateral session involving senior officials from both sides.

The two leaders subsequently signed a Joint Declaration aimed at strengthening cooperation between Israel and Somaliland in areas including diplomacy, security, economic development and investment.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has since maintained its own government, security institutions and democratic processes, although its statehood remains disputed internationally.

Israel formally recognised Somaliland as an independent state on December 26, 2025, becoming the first UN member state to do so, a development that has added momentum to Somaliland’s campaign for wider international recognition.

Somaliland’s quest for recognition has significant geopolitical implications for the Horn of Africa, with potential consequences for regional security, trade, investment and maritime interests around the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.