Veteran diplomat and humanitarian Edna Adan Ismail argues that Somaliland became Africa’s 14th independent nation on June 26, 1960, and presents historical, legal and diplomatic evidence supporting international recognition. The article examines sovereignty, colonial treaties, the 1960 union, democracy and the African Union’s role in resolving Somaliland’s status.
The complete piece is as follows:
Somaliland: Africa’s 14th Independent Nation
Somaliland’s Sovereignty Is Not a Phantom or a Dream — It Is a Recorded Historical Fact
By Edna Adan Ismail
When Somaliland became the 14th independent African nation on 26 June 1960, it joined the ranks of Liberia, Ethiopia, Egypt, South Africa, Libya, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, Guinea, Cameroon, Senegal, and Togo.
This independence was not symbolic. It was achieved through a legal, internationally recognized, and documented act of statehood.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II issued a Royal Proclamation formally ending British protection and transferring full sovereign authority to the new State of Somaliland. Britain deposited Somaliland’s independence documents with the United Nations, transferred treaty obligations to Somaliland, and remained in the country for six months to ensure a smooth transition from Protectorate to sovereign nation.
More than 30 countries, including permanent members of the UN Security Council, sent official diplomatic congratulations. Somaliland already had its own flag — the same design Somalia later adopted, but in a lighter shade of blue.
These are not political opinions. They are archival facts.
When Somaliland Became Independent, Somalia and 41 Other African Nations Were Still Under Colonial Rule
(See Annex for the complete list of African nations and their independence dates.)
This single fact illustrates Somaliland’s rightful place in African history.
By contrast, Italian Somalia never gained independence. It simply reached the end of the 10‑year Italian Trusteeship (1950–1960). On 1 July 1960, former Italian Somalia did not become a sovereign state through a formal act of decolonization, nor did it receive international recognition as an independent country.
Instead, it merged with Somaliland, hiding under the wings of an already independent state, and claimed a phantom identity as a new “independent” republic.
There are no documents anywhere proving Somalia’s independence. What Somalia exercised was identity theft — a blatant fraud that continues today, even to the point of claiming Somaliland as part of its “territorial integrity.”
Somalia even celebrates 26 June — Somaliland’s Independence Day — as its own, despite knowing it was still under Italian Trusteeship on that date.
Whether the international community accepted Somalia’s claim out of ignorance, conspiracy, or blind repetition of Somalia’s narrative remains unclear. What is clear is that no one took the trouble to verify the facts.
A Union Requires Two Sovereign States — Somalia Was Not Sovereign
When Somalia attempted a union with the already independent State of Somaliland, international law required two sovereign states.
Italian Somalia was not sovereign. Somaliland was.
This alone renders the attempted union null and void.
These are not political opinions. They are archival facts.
The Act of Union Was Never Ratified — Therefore No Legal Union Ever Existed
Somaliland presented an Act of Union written in English. Somalia presented a different Act of Union written in Italian.
No joint document was ever presented, passed, or deposited with the United Nations.
The African Union Fact‑Finding Mission (2005) concluded:
“The union between Somaliland and Somalia was never ratified. Somaliland’s case is unique and self‑justified.”
Somalia blocked the report from being presented to AU Member States, but fortunately, it remains available — and should be read.
Somaliland’s Borders Are Legally Defined; Somalia’s Are Not
Somaliland’s borders are established through three binding international treaties:
- Anglo‑French Treaty
- Anglo‑Italian Treaty
- Anglo‑Ethiopian Treaty
These treaties precisely define Somaliland’s borders with Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
The OAU Cairo Resolution of 1964 requires African states to respect colonial borders at independence (Uti possidetis juris). Somaliland fully respects these borders. Somalia, however, seeks to alter them — a dangerous precedent that would unravel the entire African continent’s colonial borders and open the Pandora’s Box Somalia itself often warns about.
Somalia Fragmented; Somaliland Built Peace
After the collapse of the Somali Democratic Republic in 1991, the world launched one of the largest peace‑restoration missions in African history.
In 1992–1993, 28,000 international troops were deployed to Mogadishu under Operation Restore Hope, including forces from:
United States, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe.
The world remembers the tragic Black Hawk Down incident of October 1993, when American soldiers were killed and their bodies desecrated in Mogadishu.
For 35 years, the world has poured trillions of dollars into Somalia. Yet peace remains elusive. Somalia is more fragmented today than ever, even with 40,000 African Union troops trying to keep order in Mogadishu.
Eleven peace conferences between Somaliland and Somalia — held in London, Istanbul, Ankara, Dubai, Cairo, and Djibouti — produced agreements Somalia never honored.
Somalia has used international funds to:
- Further fragment former Italian Somalia into federal states,
- Destabilize neighbouring countries,
- Promote terrorism and piracy,
- Descend into chaos and lawlessness,
- Earn the description of the world’s worst failed state.
Meanwhile, Somaliland rebuilt itself without foreign troops, without recognition, and without external assistance.
Somaliland Is a Functioning Democracy
Somaliland has:
- A constitution approved by referendum,
- Multiple peaceful elections witnessed by international observers,
- The world’s first nationwide biometric voter registration,
- A stable government protecting its 850 km coastline from piracy and terrorism,
- A growing economy admired by many.
Somaliland has never been part of Somalia and is not seeking secession. There is no country called Somalia to secede from.
Somaliland seeks recognition of the sovereignty it already possessed as Africa’s 14th Independent Nation — sovereignty it never relinquished.
The Somali Republic that attempted union in 1960 collapsed after the 1969 Marxist coup and morphed into:
- Somali Democratic Republic (1969)
- Transitional National Government (2000)
- Transitional Federal Government (2004)
- Federal Republic of Somalia (2012)
Somaliland has had nothing to do with any of these entities.
Recognition Is Not a Favor — It Is the Correction of an Historical Injustice
The African Union has already acknowledged the uniqueness of Somaliland’s case. International law supports it. History documents it. The people of Somaliland have lived it.
It is now time for the African Union and its Member States to confront this historical truth with the honesty and courage it demands. For 64 years, Somaliland’s rightful sovereignty has been obscured by an error that Africa itself recorded, Africa itself acknowledged, and Africa itself must now correct. Responsible nations cannot continue to ignore archival facts, legal principles, and the lived reality of six million Somalilanders. The African Union must finally uphold its own doctrine of uti possidetis juris, respect the borders it pledged to protect, and deliver an African solution to an African problem. Rectifying this long‑standing injustice is not an act of charity — it is an act of integrity, fairness, and fidelity to Africa’s own laws and values.
Recognizing Somaliland is not a political favor. It is the correction of a historical oversight and an injustice against the six million people of Somaliland, whose country became Africa’s 14th Independent State on 26 June 1960.
ANNEX:
Chronological List of African countries and their Independence Dates (1847–2011)
- Liberia – USA – 26 July 1847
- South Africa – Britain – 31 May 1910
- Egypt – Britain – 28 February 1922
- Ethiopia – Never colonized (brief Italian occupation 1936–41)
- Libya – Italy – 24 December 1951
- Sudan – Britain – 1 January 1956
- Morocco – France – 2 March 1956
- Tunisia – France – 20 March 1956
- Ghana – Britain – 6 March 1957
- Guinea – France – 2 October 1958
- Cameroon – France – 1 January 1960
- Senegal – France – 4 April 1960
- Togo – France – – 27 April 1960
- Somaliland – Britain 26 June 1960
- Madagascar – France – 26 June 1960
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the – Belgium – 30 June 1960
- Somalia – Italy – 1 July 1960: Italian Colony → UN Trusteeship (1950–1960). Trusteeship ended on 30 June 1960. On 1 July 1960, the territory opted to join the already independent State of Somaliland. Somalia did not exist as a sovereign state prior to this attempted union which was never legally ratified.
- Benin – France – 1 August 1960
- Niger – France -3 August 1960
- Burkina Faso – France – 5 August 1960
- Côte d’Ivoire – France – 7 August 1960
- Chad – France – 11 August 1960
- Central African Republic – France – 13 August 1960
- Congo, Republic of the – France – 15 August 1960
- Gabon – France – 17 August 1960
- Mali – France – 22 September 1960
- Nigeria – Britain – 1 October 1960
- Mauritania – France – 28 November 1960
- Sierra Leone – Britian – 27 April 1961
- Tanzania – Britain – 9 December 1961 Tanzania gained independence from Britain, with Tanganyika becoming independent in 1961 and Zanzibar in 1963
- Burundi – Belgium – 1 July 1962
- Rwanda – Belgium – 1 July 1962
- Algeria – France – 5 July 1962
- Uganda – Britain – 9 October 1962
- Kenya – Britain – 12 December 1963
- Malawi – Britain – 6 July 1964
- Zambia – Britain – 24 October 1964
- Gambia – Britain – 18 February 1965
- Botswana – Britain – 30 September 1966
- Lesotho – Britain – 4 October 1966
- Mauritius – Britain – 12 March 1968
- Eswatini – Britain – 6 September 1968
- Equatorial Guinea – Spain -12 October 1968
- Guinea‑Bissau – Portugal – 10 September 1974
- Mozambique – Portugal – 25 June 1975
- Cabo Verde – Portugal – 5 July 1975
- Comoros – France – 6 July 1975
- São Tomé and Príncipe – Portugal – 12 July 1975
- Angola – Portugal – 11 November 1975
- Seychelles – Britain – 29 June 1976
- Djibouti – France – 27 June 1977
- Zimbabwe – Britain – 18 April 1980
- Namibia – South Africa – 21 March 1990
- Eritrea – Ethiopia -24 May 1993 ( it was formerly an Italian Colony like Libya and Somalia )
- South Sudan – Sudan – 9 July 2011
