It is a semi-desert territory the size of Uruguay that proclaimed its independence in 1991.
But to exactly 30 years after that eventful declaration, Somaliland continues to struggle to be recognized as a country.
Located in the so-called Horn of Africa, between Ethiopia and Somalia -state of which it is officially part-, Somaliland was a British protectorate until its independence on 26 June 1960.
But that autonomy did not last long, since five days later it merged with Italian Somalia, also recently independent. It was a union that many Somalis regretted as soon as it materialized.
The differences with their southern neighbors began almost immediately after the Parliament passed the law that founded the Republic of Somalia.
In fact, the 20 July 1961, a year after the creation of the new State, a referendum was held to draft a new Constitution. Despite the majority rejection of the Somalis, the text went ahead, becoming the Magna Carta of the nascent republic.
And less than a decade, the country collapsed .
On 1967 Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was elected president and appointed Somali Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal as prime minister.
But after two years, the president died at the hands of his bodyguard , in what was a coup led by General Mohamed Siad Barre, who seized power.
Thus It was how Somalia became the Democratic Republic of Somalia.
“I will leave buildings, but not people”
The de facto government of Siad Barre increased discontent in Somaliland and fueled the desire for much Somalis to take a different course.
That controversial Marxist-Leninist military not only caused displeasure in Somaliland, but throughout the country, and that malaise triggered a revolution .
“When I leave Somalia, I will leave buildings, but not people,” Barre promised at the end of the decade. of the 80.
And a report commissioned by the United Nations and published to early this century, determined that “the crime of genocide was conceived, planned and perpetrated” by the Somali government against the Isaaq people in northern Somalia between 1987 Y 1989.
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At that time, the Somali air force carried out large-scale bombardments in Hargeisa, capital of the declared Republic of Somaliland, killing thousands of civilians and partially destroying the city.
After several years of a sang rienta fights, in 1991 Siad Barre was overthrown, followed by a civil war.
Without international recognition
The end of the military regime also caused Somaliland to unilaterally declare its independence. Back then it was, and still is, an oasis of relative calm in one of the world’s most hectic regions.
Three decades later, Somaliland functions almost like an independent country, but not, at least officially.
It has its own political system, a Parliament, its police force, a flag, a currency and issues its own passports .
But neither the United Nations nor the Arab League nor the African Union, nor does any country in general recognize it as an independent nation.
“It has its own government institutions, but it is not internationally recognized,” summarizes journalist Farhan Jimale, from the BBC’s Somali service.
“Since 1991 has been trying to get recognition, but so far it has not been successful ”, he tells BBC Mundo.
Comparisons with Taiwan
The case of Somaliland is often compared to that of Taiwan. Both appear to be fully functioning states and proudly declare their independence from larger neighbors, Somalia and China, who insist they are part of their territories.
Noticing From this, Hargeisa and Taipei have strengthened their relations and last year officially established diplomatic ties, unleashing the anger of their neighbors.
The Taiwanese representative in Somaliland, Allen Chenhwa Lou, described in an interview with the BBC last month the relationship between the two territories as “win-win”.
“We don’t need to pursue independence right now because we are already independent . What we both need is recognition. We both share this difficult situation, ”he added.
An oasis of stability
Apart from the political issue and institutional independence, Somaliland is also much more stable than the rest of Somalia.
It is considered by experts an example of democracy in the region. Their leaders come to power through close elections whose results, unlike other African countries, are respected, even when the opposition wins.
And, despite Being a city with a lot of poverty and having a very high level of unemployment, Hargeisa is one of the safest cities in the region.
As the journalist from BBC Mary Harper at 2016, within the framework of the 25 years of the declaration of independence of the territory: “ Somaliland has peace and relative stability. ”
“ Sometimes I travel between Somalia and Somaliland in the same day and the contrast could not be greater. In Somalia, as a Western journalist, I cannot move without six heavily armed bodyguards (…). In Somaliland I walk alone, even at night. ”
Somali journalist Farhan Jimale explains that this relative peace is due to the fact that Somaliland has been working on it since the years 90.
“There were local elders, who acted as mediators. They brought together all the local communities and formed a local government that shares power. ”
The vision of Somalia
Somalia considers Somaliland an integral part of its country.
In the Latest 10 years, Hargeisa and Mogadishu have held peace talks, but for Somalia the integrity of the country is not negotiable. Jimale.
“However, it recognizes Somaliland as a region that has developed its authorities local ”, he continues.
According to the journalist, the future of Somaliland will depend on how the civil war that has torn Somalia apart for three decades.
In recent years, the federal government has managed to advance towards reconstruction of the country, expelling the various Islamic groups from most of the major cities. friends he faces.
If Somalia achieves peace, it will have less reason to recognize Somaliland’s independence.
“The main argument of the Somali independentists is that Somalia has to put order in its house, before both parties sit down to talk,” says Jimale.
But if the country continues to be in chaos, the independence struggle will not stop.
Whatever happens, most likely the final decision on the independence of Somaliland will have to come from Mogadishu, as happened with the secession of neighboring South Sudan, which the Sudanese government ended up accepting after a referendum.
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