The US Department of State on Monday rejected an appeal for recognition by Muse Bihi Abdi, the leader of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, reported The BBC.
President Abdi, who is currently on a tour to the US, made a plea with the Washington government for international recognition as a nation-state. He has been serving as Somaliland’s president since 2017.
Notably, Somaliland declared itself independent of Somalia more than 30 years ago, but it is not recognized as an independent state by the African Union (AU) or the United Nations (UN). Somaliland, however, continues to run like a de facto state, having a Central Bank and currency, army, and police.
Addressing an event hosted by the Heritage Foundation, the conservative policy think tank, in Washington on Monday, President Bihi said 10 years of unification talks with Somalia have failed to bring any result.
“[Somaliland] is prepared to pursue all available avenues for international recognition,” he said. “Somaliland believes that the international community has a moral obligation to support Somaliland’s pursuit of international recognition.”
The US Department of State said it welcomed the meeting with Mr. Bihi and the discussions on “strengthening US engagement with Somaliland within the framework of our single Somalia policy”.
Since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991, Somaliland functions like a country – with its own passport, currency, flag, government, and army. The region has been conducting regular elections over the years.
Somalia, on the other hand, still sees Somaliland as part of its territory. The Somali government is yet to respond to Somaliland’s appeal with the international community to seek recognition as an independent country. Since 2012 several rounds of talks over possible unification have failed to reach a breakthrough.
In his speech, President Abdi said the ongoing war in Ukraine flashes back painful memories of a deadly conflict with Somalia.
“We feel the pain and anguish that the people of Ukraine feel because we went through the same experience,” he said.
