WASHINGTON, July 30 (Horndiplomat) — U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to establish a separate U.S. travel advisory for Somaliland, arguing that the current policy treating Somaliland and Somalia under the same Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory fails to reflect the vastly different security conditions on the ground.
In a letter dated July 28, Cruz, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, urged the U.S. Department of State to conduct a new Diplomatic Security assessment and introduce a region-specific travel advisory for Somaliland rather than continuing to apply Somalia-wide guidance.
“The Department currently maintains a Level 4 ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory for Somalia that applies equally to Somaliland,” Cruz wrote. “That assessment does not reflect the reality on the ground in Somaliland.”
Cruz argued that Somaliland has maintained a stable, self-governing and democratic political system for decades, holding multiple competitive elections and peaceful transfers of power since 2003, while serving as a reliable security and diplomatic partner for the United States in the strategically important Horn of Africa.
According to the senator, the current U.S. travel advisory discourages American investment, complicates official government travel and diplomatic engagement, and unnecessarily subjects travel to Somaliland to security procedures designed for conflict-affected areas elsewhere in Somalia.
“The State Department’s current policy punishes success and rewards failure,” Cruz wrote, adding that the United States treats Somaliland “as though it were no different from the insecurity and dysfunction that plague the rest of Somalia.”
The Texas Republican also pointed to the State Department’s country-specific travel guidance for Mexico, where security advisories differ by state, arguing that a similar regional approach should be adopted for Somaliland.
“There is no reason the Department should not apply the same common-sense approach to Somaliland,” he said, calling for a tiered Diplomatic Security assessment based on present-day conditions rather than assessments dating back to the early 1990s.
Cruz said a separate travel advisory would provide Americans with more accurate travel guidance while supporting stronger engagement with what he described as “one of our most dependable partners in the Horn of Africa.”
The letter marks the latest effort by Cruz to deepen U.S. engagement with Somaliland. In 2025, he also urged the Trump administration to formally recognize the Republic of Somaliland, arguing that closer relations would advance American strategic, economic and security interests in the Red Sea region and the Horn of Africa.
The U.S. State Department has not publicly responded to Cruz’s latest request, and no changes to the current travel advisory have been announced.
