French writer and filmmaker Pierre Rehov argues that the Trump administration should formally recognize Somaliland, calling the territory a democratic and strategic ally positioned at one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints
WASHINGTON — French journalist, novelist and documentary filmmaker Pierre Rehov has called on the Trump administration to formally recognize Somaliland, arguing that the self-governing territory has emerged as one of the West’s most reliable democratic and strategic partners in the Horn of Africa.
In a wide-ranging opinion article, published by the Gatestone Institute, Rehov described Somaliland as a functioning democratic state that has maintained stability and security for more than three decades despite remaining outside the international recognition system.
“While the international community says it champions democracy, stability, and self-determination, Somaliland ticks every box,” Rehov wrote. “Yet it stays unrecognized, largely because diplomats cling to the fiction of Somalia’s territorial integrity.”
He argued that continued refusal to recognize Somaliland represents “bureaucratic inertia” rather than genuine diplomacy and warned that Western powers risk losing influence in the strategically vital Red Sea region if they fail to act.
“The only question left is whether Washington and its allies possess the clarity, the courage, and the strategic vision to welcome it,” he wrote.
Rehov emphasized Somaliland’s geopolitical importance due to its position along the Gulf of Aden near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.
“Roughly a fifth of global petroleum trade passes through these waters,” he noted, warning that instability in nearby Yemen and expanding Chinese influence across the Horn of Africa have increased the urgency for the United States to secure reliable regional allies.
According to Rehov, Somaliland offers Washington far more than symbolic diplomatic value.
“Official recognition would not just fix a diplomatic anomaly,” he wrote. “It would unlock a genuine strategic asset — economic development, infrastructure projects, intelligence sharing, and potentially a forward U.S.-Israeli military presence.”
He argued that such cooperation could help monitor global shipping routes, deter piracy, counter jihadist organizations and contain Iranian influence emanating from Yemen and the wider Red Sea region.
The French journalist contrasted Somaliland’s governance record with Somalia’s prolonged instability, noting that Somaliland has conducted multiple peaceful elections while Somalia continues to struggle with insurgency and political fragmentation.
“Somaliland has achieved what its neighbor, Somalia, could not: relative order, internal cohesion, and institutional resilience,” Rehov wrote.
He pointed specifically to the November 2024 presidential election in which President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro defeated incumbent Muse Bihi Abdi in what he described as a peaceful democratic transition observed by international monitors.
Rehov also highlighted Somaliland’s long-standing efforts to align itself with Western powers rather than Islamist movements or rival geopolitical blocs.
“Somaliland has never aligned with Islamist movements or hostile powers,” Rehov stated. “Instead, it has repeatedly sought pragmatic partnerships with the West.”
The article comes amid intensifying geopolitical competition across the Red Sea and Horn of Africa, where the United States, China, Turkey, Gulf states and Iran-backed groups are increasingly competing for military, commercial and political influence.
Rehov also referenced Israel’s decision in December 2025 to formally recognize Somaliland and establish diplomatic relations with Hargeisa, describing the move as a strategic signal regarding the territory’s importance in regional security dynamics.
“This was a clear strategic signal that Jerusalem sees Somaliland as a serious partner in a region increasingly shaped by Iranian proxies, Turkish influence, and Chinese expansion,” he wrote.
The writer argued that Somaliland’s lack of international recognition no longer reflects realities on the ground, noting that the territory has maintained its own government, currency, security forces and foreign relations since reasserting its sovereignty from Somalia in 1991.
“Somaliland exists,” Rehov wrote. “This simple fact has stood unchallenged for more than three decades.”
He further argued that refusing recognition sends the wrong message to societies attempting to build democratic systems under difficult conditions.
“Denying recognition sends exactly the wrong signal: that building a functioning democracy in hard conditions earns you nothing,” he wrote.
Rehov concluded by urging Washington to reassess its long-standing policy toward Somaliland as global strategic competition intensifies across the Red Sea corridor.
“At this time, when the Free World faces authoritarian expansion, ideological extremism, and its own internal divisions, it cannot afford to overlook its natural allies,” he wrote. “Somaliland is one of them.”
