Trump’s 19 and Somaliland: The Outlier That Deserves Recognition

This article, “Trump’s 19 and Somaliland: The Outlier That Deserves Recognition,” argues that the US should recognize Somaliland as an independent nation. It uses an analogy comparing the situations of North and South Korea to Somalia and Somaliland, stating that current US policy incorrectly treats Somaliland as an extension of Somalia.

Here’s a breakdown of the key arguments:

• Somaliland is distinct from Somalia: The author claims Somaliland is significantly different from Somalia in terms of democracy and safety, more akin to South Korea than North Korea. They use data from Freedom House (democracy score) and the UN (homicide rates) to support this, placing Somaliland in a quadrant with democratic and safe nations like Israel, while Somalia falls into an unstable category.

• Recognition, not migration, is the goal: The author clarifies that the argument isn’t about easing immigration but about recognizing Somaliland’s existing stability, which could attract investment and encourage Somalilanders to return home.

• Policy is outdated: The article criticizes the current US policy, linking it to the Biden administration and Hillary Clinton, arguing it’s time to dismantle it.

• Strategic advantages: Recognizing Somaliland aligns with US strategic interests because Somaliland controls vital maritime access and has successfully kept out extremist groups like al-Shabaab. Additionally, China’s stance on territorial integrity would prevent them from recognizing Somaliland, giving the US a unique advantage.

• Call to action: The author directly appeals to then President Trump to recognize Somaliland, highlighting previous support for the idea and framing it as a historic opportunity.

The complete piece is as follows:

Trump’s 19 and Somaliland: The Outlier That Deserves Recognition

By Abdi Daud

Imagine a US adviser insisting that both Koreas are the same and that Washington should treat South Korea and North Korea under one identical policy. It would be reckless, wrong, and no serious strategist would defend it.

Yet that’s exactly what is happening with Somalia and Somaliland. They are two places as different as Seoul and Pyongyang in democracy and peace, yet lumped together under one outdated Hillary policy that refuses to acknowledge reality.

Somaliland shouldn’t be among the 19 countries blocked from entering the US. It doesn’t fit that group: not democratically, not politically, not in real-world safety. The facts are blunt: Somaliland and Israel can be grouped together. Not Somaliland and Somalia.

This comparison uses two simple, internationally recognized datasets: Democracy from Freedom House (0 to 100) and Safety from UN homicide data (converted to a 0 to 100 score, see appendix for full data). Most of the 19 blocked countries sink into the undemocratic and unsafe zone. Except one.

Somaliland stands in the democratic and safe quadrant, right alongside Israel. Somalia sits with the unstable states Washington already flags as security risks.

Let’s clear one thing up straight away. This isn’t a push for migration. It’s a case for recognition, grounded entirely in evidence. Somalilanders aren’t asking for special visas. If anything, recognition would bring investment and stability. More Somalilanders would return home, not leave.

Biden and Hillary’s policies are being dismantled piece by piece. It’s time to end their outdated approach of treating Somaliland as an extension of Somalia. Washington doesn’t merge South Korea and North Korea in its policy. It shouldn’t merge Somaliland and Somalia either.

Recognition is fundamentally an executive decision requiring no Congressional appropriations or UN resolutions. The United States was among the first nations to recognize Somaliland’s independence in 1960, before its incomplete union with Somalia. This isn’t about secession. It’s about state continuity, similar to how the US recognized the Baltic States after Soviet occupation. Somaliland controls vital maritime access to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, critical for global shipping and US strategic interests.

For 34 years, Somaliland has kept al-Shabaab and extremists out of its territory without foreign peacekeepers or international aid. Meanwhile, China’s territorial integrity doctrine prevents it from ever recognizing Somaliland, giving America a unique strategic advantage. This wouldn’t be nation building. America would simply be recognizing a nation that already built itself.

Dear President Trump, Biden blocked it. Project 2025 demanded it. Think tanks proved the case. Bush almost did it. Only you can recognize Somaliland and make history.

Appendix: Democracy and Safety Data

The table below shows the raw data for all countries discussed in this analysis. Democracy scores are from Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2025 report (0 = least free, 100 = most free). Homicide rates are intentional homicides per 100,000 people from UN Office on Drugs and Crime data. Somaliland’s figures are from official government crime statistics.

Higher democracy scores are better. Lower homicide rates are better.

About the Author:

Abdirahman Mohamed Abdi Daud is an Australian Somalilander and Software Engineer. Works as a principal developer for a financial technology company. Melbourne, Australia. Mr. Daud is also a Non-Resident Scholar at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, Hargeysa Somaliland. He can be reached at X (formerly Twitter) @haadka

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Saxafi Media.