The worldwide recognition of Somaliland cannot be ignored for even a second longer. Somalia is a failed state. The president is already proving a liability — failing to combat terrorism, lawlessness on the streets, and presiding over an appalling human rights record. Baseless and damaging claims regarding the legitimacy of critical infrastructure such as Berbera Port and Berbera Airport, represent nothing more than a land grab and a desperate attempt to laud power over a sovereign state in Putin-like fashion.
Therefore, the world, including the United Kingdom, must wake up and recognise Somaliland to not only reward a key ally, but also for the crucial benefit of Western intelligence including a say over one of the most strategic maritime checkpoints in the world.
China, Iran, and Russia are watching with eagle eyes. They are hoping that Western nations miss a crucial opportunity to fill a vacuum and allow their totalitarian regimes to form a destructive coalition with Somalia that will have devastating consequences for global trade.
We have already seen Chinese, Iranian, and Russian aggression in shipping lanes as they seek to exert their influence, disrupt supply chains, and damage the economy of democratic nations. Failing to recognise Somaliland would allow this to continue at pace. Somaliland’s Berbera Port presents a direct line of access into the Gulf of Aden and the Bel el-Mandeb Straight, a passage through which almost 12% of global trade flows. China has been flooding the region to form economic and military alliances, whilst Iran’s proxy war with Yemen has crashed economies and held goods at ransom.
Expansionist rhetoric and propaganda can only be combatted by recognising Somaliland — a stable, functional, and successful nation with a strong record of holding democratic elections. In stark contrast, Somalia is wracked with in-fighting and provides a haven for piracy with a president willing to use his own people as collateral in a never-ending campaign of self-promotion and regional dominance. As war ravages in Somalia, peace prevails in Somaliland. Therefore, it is simply astonishing that governments across the world are making a conscious decision to put Somaliland’s future in the hands of the despots that are running Somalia into the ground.
Figures from the United Nations lay bare the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Somalia. The recent poverty report shows that 52% of Somalis are living well below the poverty line, with the government failing to put sufficient measures in place to combat natural disasters and alleviate the severe deprivation across the country. Somalia was the lowest ranked African country in the Human Development Index — ranking 193 in the worldwide standing. The Index itself was created to demonstrate how a country supports the well being of its citizens and thus Somalia’s positioning makes for sobering reading. The only conclusion that can be drawn is Somalia’s president does not care about his people, infrastructure, or development of human rights.
The litany of abuses that Somalia’s president has presided over is endless. His direction of travel is creating international turmoil and the only way to achieve stability as well as to prevent rogue nations dictating strategic territories, is to recognize Somaliland. Dithering will only worsen an already dire situation. The time to recognition Somaliland is now before it’s too late.