Plea for Somaliland
Friday December 29, 2006The Guardian
Virtually no mention is made in media reports about Somalia of Somaliland, the former British colony which has been a de facto independent sovereign state since the civil war of 1991 (Leaders, December 27). Somaliland is a remarkably stable, though impoverished, country with a democratically elected president and parliament. It has no appetite for conflict, and certainly no desire to be absorbed into an Islamic Greater Somalia.
The international community has thus far refused to recognise Somaliland, often resorting to the mantra that Somalia must be first to acknowledge Somaliland's independence. This is clearly not only unlikely, given Somalia's continued instability, but also grossly unfair to the people of Somaliland, who have struggled to build a stable and peaceful democracy in the face of numerous obstacles.
One thing is clear: Somaliland needs the protection of the international community if it is maintain its position as beacon of stability in a troubled region. Formal recognition of its existence as an independent sovereign state would be a significant first step.
Kerry McCarthy MPLab, Bristol East