Despite building a stable, functioning democracy with peaceful transfers of power, Somaliland has been largely ignored and unawarded by an international community that remains blind to its state-building success. While the world maintains a wall of diplomatic isolation, three key nations—Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel—stand out for recognizing the strategic and moral importance of Somaliland’s sovereignty. Ethiopia, once a historical foe, has transformed into a vital partner by extending a hand of cooperation rooted in a shared future and regional integration. The UAE has matched this commitment with massive infrastructure investments in the Berbera corridor, treating Somaliland as a brave, modern ally in a region often defined by regressive ideologies. Finally, a historic bond with Israel, which was the first to recognize Somaliland’s independence in 1960, continues to offer a path toward modernization based on shared democratic values and common civic challenges.
Ethiopia: Past and Present: The state formation as a process of evolution has been historically dissimilar in Ethiopia and the Somali society, and shaped by unique types of circumstances and factors (Ethiopia as a deep-rooted African ancient civilization with early state formation, while in the Somali societies, the nomadic pastoralist reality made the way to progress semi-stagnant). That made them far different from each other and led them to perceive each other as different peoples and diverse types of realities that will never meet. The decisive factors of these dissimilarities have been ethnic and religious antagonism that shaped them apart, belonging to different worldwide alliances of Islam and Christianity. As a result, they have always been antagonistic and divided by violent conflicts, and oceans of suspicion and distrust separated them for centuries.
In modern history, the two parts have one more reason to be far apart: the colonial partition of the African continent, within which the Somali people were divided into five parts. As a result, the gap of divergence between Somali-speaking people and Ethiopia has widened. With the independence of the two Somali parts, the Italian and the British, the slogan of “Greater Somalia” became a central banner for the Somali political elites—not for identity’s sake, but as a violent political and ideological weapon for Greater Somali ambition through the oppression of the Somali people and aggression against other neighboring countries, which created new waves of conflict in the entire region of the Horn of Africa. One of the most destructive and bloody conflicts was the aggressive war against Ethiopia by the savage regime of Siyad Barre, with the aim not to liberate Ethiopian Somalis, but to bring them under his domination and oppression.
However, the course of historical events drastically changed from 1981–1991, when the Somaliland people experienced one of the most inhuman destructions, annihilations, and genocides by the Somalia dictatorial regime of Siyad Barre. During that savagery treatment against the peaceful people of Somaliland, the type of relation with Ethiopia drastically turned to changing. When the Siyad Barre regime was exercising extreme hostility against the Somaliland people—destroying the main cities of Hargeisa and Burao and enacting genocidal campaigns by artillery and air bombardment on the refugee people who had been escaping through the border to Ethiopia for a peaceful haven—Ethiopia, as a people and government, extended the Somaliland people a friendly hand of help. As a result, the clarity between friend and foe became crystal-clear.
Therefore, it is only logical for the Ethiopian political leadership to expect from Somaliland a reciprocal approach to building a new type of relation for establishing solid bridges to a common future of peace, cooperation, and regional integration. This has created a conviction that there is no more need to underline the irrelevant ideological rhetoric of outdated Somali irredentism at a time when all types of Somali dictators are united against the rights of the Somaliland Republic for self-determination, and a worldwide coalition is being engaged in an unholy war to put an end to the epoch-making feats of Somaliland’s achievements in state-building and democratization.
United Arab Emirates: The UAE is playing an exceptional role in the worldwide combat for building a modern, peaceful, developed, and just world motivated by a clear idea: that the religious de-radicalization of Islam is the most urgent and pivotal engagement as an unavoidable task for all enlightened Muslim leaders and communities, taking decisive steps against dark forces without leaning to compromises, halfway solutions, or tactical approaches. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s unmitigated combat aims to eliminate the challenges posed by terrorism in order to emancipate humanity from fear.
Moreover, the significant investment projects that are vital for Somaliland’s existence as a peaceful democratic nation—investments that continuously increase—further indicate clear strategic thinking behind these investments in Berbera Port developments and the highway corridor to Ethiopia. It is also important to underline that these brave and historical steps taken by the UAE regarding infrastructure development in Somaliland are taking place when most Arab countries are engaged in campaigns against the peace, state-building, and democratic achievements that Somaliland has gained over the years. It is also notable to underline here that these brave steps to invest hugely in an unrecognized country represent an extra-exceptional way of doing things in a calculated, strategic manner. That is why the UAE is seen by the Somaliland public as a very close ally.
State of Israel: The very name of Israel has been demonized in the Arab and Muslim worlds due to prejudiced religious interpretations by Islamic fundamentalism and Arab ultra-nationalists. Under the influence of formidable public opinion of the masses in the Muslim and Arabic worlds, modern-minded Muslim leaders could not dare to raise voices over the darkness of conservatism in the Arab world, and the real picture of Israel as a modern, democratic, viable nation has not been seen by the eyes of most Middle Eastern peoples and the majority of the Muslim world. As a result, Israel has been seen through the perception of an “Evil Foe.”
A similar picture remained dominant in the Somali arena too. However, contemporary world forces at work demonstrated to be richer and larger than one-sided, prejudiced story versions. The true story of the Israeli state, as a people and government, continued to be an active force on the world stage. Israel and Somaliland have fundamental commonalities based on democratic values and confront common challenges, as they share a civic democratic system; both countries exercise free and fair elections and the peaceful transition of power. These practices reflect the highest level of what human civilization has achieved through the ages regarding modernization, governance, and moralities.
Therefore, both countries’ challenges remain the same, standing against traditional political trends grounded on regressive ideological trends. The recognition of Somaliland by Israel has not been a coincidental action or a matter of fate, but a result of shared principles and common interests. The State of Israel’s quest to gain more international cooperation through diplomacy is only natural and legitimate. Israel’s intent to have relations with Somaliland started in 1960, resulting in Israel being the first country to recognize Somaliland right after independence in 1960. Furthermore, Israel as a democratic nation has a great attachment to countries with similar commitments like Somaliland. In light of these mutual expressions, broad prospects for cooperation between the two countries started opening up towards the modernization of the socio-economic and political systems of Somaliland and the consolidation of peace and cooperation in the region and the world over.
About the Author
Adam Muse Jibril is a former diplomat and scholar who has served as the Somaliland Representative to the United Kingdom, Ethiopia, and the African Union (AU). A prolific author, he has published numerous articles focusing on Horn of Africa politics, democratization, and regional security.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the Horndiplomat editorial policy.
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