How Fragmented Is Somalia - and Why Does Somaliland Insist on Independence?
Somalia was formed by unifying territories formerly controlled by the British Empire with areas previously ruled by Italy, all inhabited by ethnic Somali populations.
The society is deeply tribal. Each tribe maintains its own ideology and a distinctly different way of life. The Issa tribe, which dominates Somaliland, is considerably more pragmatic and rejects radical Islam, whereas other tribes actively embrace it.
Since the outbreak of Somalia’s civil war in 1991, the state has effectively disintegrated into competing tribes locked in continuous conflict.
The Issa tribe declared the independence of the State of Somaliland and proceeded to establish functioning state institutions and government ministries, a multi-party democratic system, and levels of corruption far lower than those typically seen in Africa - certainly far lower than those of the dysfunctional government in the capital, Mogadishu.
The people of Somaliland have succeeded in insulating themselves from the civil war, famine, and chronic instability that characterize the rest of Somalia. They have built an economy based on agriculture, fishing, light industry, and trade. Consequently, they have no incentive to reintegrate into a larger, bleeding, and non-functioning Somali state.
The different colors on the map reflect the fragmentation caused by the civil war:
• Peach-pink areas: Territories controlled by the federal government, including the capital, Mogadishu.
• Fuchsia-pink areas: The autonomous Puntland administration.
• Gray areas: Territories controlled by al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliate.
• Black area in northern Puntland: Territory controlled by a local militia affiliated with ISIS.
• Mustard-yellow area: Territory controlled by the government of Somaliland.
Somaliland - formerly a British colony - is, in practice, larger than the territory currently under the effective control of its government. While the government claims sovereignty over eastern Somaliland as part of its lawful territory, it does not presently exercise control there.
It is possible that one form of assistance the Somaliland government may seek from Israel is military support to reclaim the eastern part of the country and enforce its sovereignty over it.
The capital, Hargeisa, is located on the inland plateau at an elevation of 1,611 meters above sea level. The principal port city, of significant strategic value, is Berbera.
(King of the neighborhood)
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Patriot
in reply to Patriot • •Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, through Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, pulled the chestnuts out of the fire for the American administration. This move now enables Washington to advance its “day after” plan for the Gaza Strip.
At the core of this plan—far more than the so-called Sunrise Project—is population relocation, without which Gaza’s rehabilitation is simply not feasible.
In return for “hosting Gaza residents,” Somaliland asked for one thing only: international recognition, after 34 years of de facto independence on the ground.
Arab states that harbor deep hostility toward the Palestinians, yet readily exploit them as a tool against Israel, are opposing the move.
What we are witnessing is a sophisticated American maneuver executed through Netanyahu - an exceptionally shrewd step - using a Muslim state in the Horn of Africa, a region of growing strategic importance to the world’s major powers.
One additional point is critical. While President Trump may publicly shower the Syrian and Tu
... Show more...Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, through Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, pulled the chestnuts out of the fire for the American administration. This move now enables Washington to advance its “day after” plan for the Gaza Strip.
At the core of this plan—far more than the so-called Sunrise Project—is population relocation, without which Gaza’s rehabilitation is simply not feasible.
In return for “hosting Gaza residents,” Somaliland asked for one thing only: international recognition, after 34 years of de facto independence on the ground.
Arab states that harbor deep hostility toward the Palestinians, yet readily exploit them as a tool against Israel, are opposing the move.
What we are witnessing is a sophisticated American maneuver executed through Netanyahu - an exceptionally shrewd step - using a Muslim state in the Horn of Africa, a region of growing strategic importance to the world’s major powers.
One additional point is critical. While President Trump may publicly shower the Syrian and Turkish presidents with compliments and vague “promises,” in practice he is advancing policies that run directly counter to their strategic interests. Israel is the gateway linking India to Europe, and U.S. doctrine is centered on shaping a Middle East anchored by an alliance of pragmatic, moderate states - an alliance designed to compete with the Chinese-Russian-Turkish-Iranian-Qatari axis.
Azerbaijan, a neighbor of Iran, was added to the Abraham Accords not merely as a long-standing Israeli ally, but as a formal member of a U.S.-led regional coalition.
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland strengthens ties with the United Arab Emirates and delivers a direct strategic blow to Turkey.
Somaliland is one of seven republics that once formed the Somali federation - a state in the Horn of Africa known both for the jihadist terror organization al-Shabaab and for hosting Turkey’s largest military base outside Turkish territory.
The entity also maintains close relations with the UAE. It has pursued international recognition for decades, and there is little doubt that Israel’s pioneering recognition - still unmatched by any other country - together with this week’s trilateral engagement with Greece and Cyprus, is intended to signal to Ankara that Israel will not sit idle while Erdoğan expands Islamist proxy networks across the region.