The self-governing region within Somalia – which has never been recognised by the latter’s authorities – appears to be closer to being recognised than ever before.
Speaking at his inauguration in Hargeisa on 12 December, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi said he would give “special importance to foreign policy” and pursue recognition for Somaliland from the international community based on a “valid legal argument”.
“My new government’s first job is to renew its relations with the rest of the world in order for us to be able to create a new Somaliland that will help the security of the entire region, including the Red Sea,” he declared.
The United States Ambassador to Somalia, Richard H. Riley, attended the president’s inauguration and said that Somaliland was “one of the best examples of democracy in action in Africa”.
