European Leaders Urged to Recognize Somaliland as Democratic Ally in Strategic Horn of Africa

BRUSSELS — In a passionate appeal to European leaders, Austrian democracy advocate Gunther Fehlinger is mounting a campaign to grant international recognition to Somaliland, arguing that the Republic of Somaliland has earned its place among nations through three decades of democratic governance and stability in one of the world’s most volatile regions.

“Somaliland has waited long enough,” Fehlinger said in an interview. “This unique success deserves justice. Somaliland must be recognized by the European Union and the Free World — not tomorrow, but now.”

His campaign comes at a pivotal moment for the Horn of Africa, where strategic competition is intensifying and Somaliland recently signed a landmark memorandum of understanding with Ethiopia that includes potential recognition in exchange for port access. The territory has drawn increasing interest from global powers, including the United States, as its strategic location along the Gulf of Aden gains importance amid Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes.

A History of Sovereignty Reclaimed

Somaliland’s case rests on a distinct historical trajectory that separates it from other breakaway regions. It first gained independence as the State of Somaliland on June 26, 1960, before voluntarily uniting with the former Italian Somaliland to form the Somali Republic just five days later.

That union, however, was never ratified legally and quickly showed strains. As early as 1961, military officers from Somaliland staged a rebellion attempting to restore independence, and over 60% of northern voters rejected the 1961 national constitution in a referendum. Decades of marginalization under Siad Barre’s regime culminated in brutal repression during the 1980s, when the Somali army bombed northwestern cities and killed thousands of civilians.

Following the collapse of the Somali government in 1991, Somali sultans from the Isaaq, Dhulbahante, Issa, Gadabursi, and Warsangali clans, alongside the Somali National Movement, declared the restoration of the Republic of Somaliland on May 18, 1991—not as a new entity but as the continuation of the former British protectorate that had voluntarily entered the union.

“It’s not rebellion; it’s reclamation,” Fehlinger argues. “Somaliland is not a breakaway province – it’s a nation that reasserted its independence and has shown a capacity for building its own democratic institutions.”

Building Democracy against the Odds

While southern Somalia descended into decades of civil war and extremism, Somaliland embarked on what analysts call “one of the most successful self-generated post-conflict reconstruction” efforts in the developing world.

The territory has established democratic institutions and conducted regular free elections with peaceful transfers of power that are rare in the region. Through a series of clan conferences, most notably in Burao (1991) and Borama (1993), Somaliland developed a hybrid political system that integrated traditional Somali and Western elements of governance.

“Since then, several presidential and parliamentary elections have taken place in Somaliland, leading to peaceful transfers of power,” said Markus Virgil Hoehne, a researcher at the University of Leipzig who has studied Somaliland for two decades. “[Somaliland] has demonstrated that rarest of things: self-generated post-conflict reconstruction resulting in peace, democracy and good governance without international intervention.”

Despite these achievements, Somaliland remains unrecognized by any United Nations member state, making it what some call the “largest unrecognized state in the world” by land area controlled. This lack of recognition has come at a significant economic cost.

“We can’t get international credit or foreign investment to build the country and create jobs as we are not recognized,” Saad Ali Shire, Somaliland’s former foreign minister, lamented in a 2016 interview.

A Comprehensive Vision for Partnership

Fehlinger’s proposal goes beyond symbolic recognition to outline what he calls a “European Partnership Package” with multiple components designed to integrate Somaliland into Western economic and security architectures:

Table: Fehlinger’s European Partnership Package for Somaliland

The proposal also includes what Fehlinger calls a “pro-growth reform”: implementing a 10% flat tax on income, corporate profits, and capital gains to “transform Somaliland into the Singapore of the Horn of Africa” by attracting foreign investment and formalizing the economy.

This comprehensive approach reflects the increasing international engagement with Somaliland, despite its lack of formal recognition. The United Kingdom opened a British Office in Hargeisa in 2020, and several UK city councils have voted to recognize Somaliland’s right to self-determination. The UAE has invested heavily in modernizing Berbera port, and Taiwan has established representative offices in Hargeisa.

Geopolitical Stakes in the Horn of Africa

The push for recognition comes as great-power competition intensifies in the Horn of Africa, with China establishing a naval facility in Djibouti in 2017 and the U.S. seeking strategic partnerships in the region.

“Somaliland’s location along the Gulf of Aden represents a strategic asset in an increasingly contested region,” noted a recent analysis. “A base on Somaliland’s coastline would serve as a critical asset for the United States in countering Houthi threats to Western and Israeli vessels.”

The Ethiopia-Somaliland memorandum of understanding, signed in January 2024, represents the most significant diplomatic breakthrough for the territory. Under this agreement, Ethiopia would lease the port of Berbera and a stretch of coastline in exchange for eventual recognition of Somaliland—which would make it the first UN member state to extend such recognition.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the Trump administration has shown renewed interest in Somaliland. “Project 2025,” a roadmap compiled by conservative organizations for a potential Trump presidency, proposes the recognition of Somaliland statehood as a hedge against the U.S.’s deteriorating position in Djibouti.

“Recognition is on the horizon,” Somaliland’s President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi said in a recent interview. “It’s a matter of time. Not if, but when and who will lead the recognition of Somaliland.”

Challenges on the Path to Recognition

Despite the growing momentum, significant obstacles remain. Somalia firmly opposes Somaliland’s independence claims, considering the territory an integral part of its sovereign territory.

Additionally, Somaliland faces internal challenges, including tension with Puntland over disputed territories and recent loss of control in the Las Anod conflict in its eastern regions.

The Path Forward

Fehlinger and other advocates argue that after 33 years of de facto independence, Somaliland has proven its viability as a state and its commitment to democratic principles.

“Somaliland is not a problem to be managed,” Fehlinger contends. “It is a partner to be embraced. In a world of autocrats on the march, Europe must reward those who choose democracy and peace.”

As the geopolitical competition in the Horn of Africa intensifies, the international community faces a choice between maintaining the status quo and acknowledging what Somalilanders have built through three decades of determination and relative peace.

“The international community now faces a clear choice between supporting Somaliland’s proven model of stability and democracy or maintaining the status quo in a strategically important region,” concluded a recent analysis.

For the people of Somaliland, who have rebuilt their country from the ruins of war with minimal international assistance, recognition represents not just a diplomatic formality but the culmination of a generations-long struggle for legitimacy and respect.

Gunther Fehlinger-Jahn is chairman of Europeans for Tax Reform and a prominent advocate for democracy and self-determination movements across Europe and Africa.