Somaliland Gains a Measure of Recognition

 By Henry Srebrnik, [Charlottetown, PEI] Guardian

In 2004, the late Barry Bartmann and I, professors of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island, along with an academic at the University of Western Ontario, co-edited a book on “De Facto States.” These are entities that have declared themselves sovereign but remain unrecognized by almost all other countries.

Included among others were Abkhazia, Transnistria, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and Kosovo – the last the only one that has now obtained a large measure of international legitimacy.

One chapter, written by me, dealt with Somaliland, a part of Somalia that emerged after that nation disintegrated in 1991. It has all the trappings of a country, including a working political system, regular elections, a police force and its own currency.

A semi-desert territory on the coast of the Gulf of Aden, Somaliland declared independence after the overthrow of Somali military dictator Siad Barre. The move followed a struggle during which Siad Barre’s forces killed tens of thousands of people and towns were flattened.

Over the decades Somaliland has also escaped much of the chaos and violence that have engulfed Somalia. But Somalia, which still retains international recognition, though it is in effect governed by various clan “warlords,” and is constantly attacked by the al-Shabaab Islamist militants, remains opposed to Somaliland’s nationhood. And the international community has followed suit.

Often forgotten, though, is that prior to 1960 they were two separate colonial entities, with Somaliland governed by Britain and what is now Somalia by Italy, before they merged to form the Somali Republic. This is part of Somaliland’s claim to independent statehood.

But might that now change? Since the end of the Cold War, two African states have broken away from countries they had never wanted to be part of: Eritrea separated from Ethiopia, and South Sudan split from Sudan, following lengthy liberation struggles.

Following Eritrea’s independence, Ethiopia became a landlocked country, with no outlet to the Red Sea. And this has provided an opportunity for Somaliland, which is located in the region known as the horn of Africa, where the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden meet the Indian Ocean.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has described sea access as an existential issue for his country. With more than 100 million people, it is the most populous landlocked country in the world. Up to now Ethiopia has been using the port in neighbouring Djibouti for most of its imports and exports.

So on Jan. 1, Ethiopia took the first steps that could enable the now landlocked country to regain access to the sea. It has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the self-declared Republic of Somaliland to use one of its ports.

There were some fears that this implied trying to retake land from Eritrea. Instead, talks focused on the Somaliland port of Berbera, which has recently been significantly expanded by DP World, a port logistics company based in the United Arab Emirates.

The prime minister signed the MoU with Somaliland’s President Muse Bihi Abdi in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Abdi indicated that the agreement included a section stating that Ethiopia would recognise Somaliland as an independent country at some point in the future.

A statement later stated that, apart from commercial traffic through Berbera, the “historic agreement ensures Ethiopia’s access to the sea for their naval forces, reciprocated by formal recognition of the Republic of Somaliland.”

The Ethiopian navy would acquire 20 kilometres of sea access, leased for a period of 50 years, allowing Ethiopia to build a military base on the coast. In return, Somaliland will get a share in Ethiopia Airlines, the country’s successful national carrier.

Somalia’s president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has called the deal a “violation” of its sovereignty and described the agreement as an act of aggression. Even al-Shabaab weighed in, pledging to “defend our land and sea with our blood.”

Christian-majority Ethiopia and Somalia, which is Muslim, have a long history of rivalry. In 1977-78, they fought a devastating war for control of what is now called the Somali region of Ethiopia. Somalia’s defeat began the process of its eventual dismemberment.

African Union commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat on Jan. 3 called for calm and mutual respect “to de-escalate the simmering tension.” Turkey and Egypt, which play a significant role in Somalia, also pledged support for it. But Somalia is really a failed state that exists only on paper, so perhaps Somaliland will finally prevail.