Investigative Reports

Somaliland Office in Taiwan Rejects Sexual Misconduct Allegations

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The Republic of Somaliland Representative Office in Taiwan has...

Ministry of Information Spends 600,000 US Dollars to Fix a Decade Old Radio Station

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According to a contract signed by the Minister of Information, Culture...

How Somalia is trying to Stifle Somaliland – US ties with an Online Troll and a pseudo-Charitable Organization

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In February, June, and  August 2022, Mr. Okeke-Von Batten filed Lobby Disclosure Act...
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Somaliland Government Makes Cash payments to 988 Waaheen Market Business Owners

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The President of the Republic of Somaliland, Muse Bihi Abdi, has started making cash payments to business owners affected by Waaheen Fire. The cash distribution program unveiled at the Presidency on Saturday has so far paid out $1,872,511 US dollars to 988 business owners whose capital was valued between 73 to 5000 US dollars by the Waaheen market committee.

Somaliland government has kick-started the recovery of Waaheen with a million dollars pledged by President Bihi immediately after the market fire and additional funding of 8 million dollars has been pledged by Somaliland businesses. In addition, President Bihi has accepted around 12 million dollars from the World Bank, which has been frozen by Somalia’s government.

Sahamiye Foundation, founded by World Remit founder Mr. Ismail Ahmed has distributed 313,700 US dollars to 761 female traders affected by the Waaheen fires.

Mr. Ismail Ahmed thanks the Mayor of Hargeisa for taking action against local government workers for allegedly charging a percentage to the traders in exchange for verifying their identities as business owners who were affected by the Waaheen fires. It is unclear if guardrails and oversight mechanisms have been established by the Somaliland government to keep corruption at bay and ensure that funds go to those affected by Waaheen Fires.

Corruption in the form of a registration fee or changing the amount intended for aid recipients is a common practice in Somaliland.

Besides the efforts to replace the loss of capital for small business owners of Waaheen, the Somaliland government is working to build out new temporary markets while clean-up and rebuilding activities are being scoped out by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing in close coordination with Hargeisa Municipality.

Hargeisa Prison Revolt Leads to Multiple Reporters’ Arrest

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According to law enforcement sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, prisoners in Hargeisa prison revolted following an objection to a prisoner who was arrested on blasphemy charges, sources add that the block where the revolt started houses mainly terrorism suspects.

Hours later government officials including the commander of Somaliland’s custodial corps spoke to the media and stated that no inmates were harmed and that some corrections officers have suffered minor injuries and that the situation has been brought under control.

Local reporters who covered the unfolding and chaotic scene were taken into custody during live streaming of the event whereas others were later arrested. Although no charges were filed against the 10 reporters from multiple media outlets, law enforcement sources stated that the reporters were either broadcasting false information or transmitting operational detail of an active law enforcement event. It is unclear what laws were broken and if charges will be brought against the reporters.

Opposition parties and the Somaliland Journalist Association have condemned the arrest of the journalist and demanded their immediate release.

This is a developing story and we will update as we know more.

Somaliland Should not Fall for Villa Somalia’s Crocodile Tears to Exploit Waheen Market Fire

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Using the devastating fire at the Waaheen market in Hargeisa, Villa Somalia has seen yet another opportunity to lie and exploit the tragedy and the gullibility of the government of Somaliland to advance a narrative of a savior that is so moved and is ready to infuse almost 12 million dollars to help the recovery and the potential visit of Somali Federal Government ministers to Somaliland. This is beyond despicable and fits in a larger pattern of Villa Somalia highjacking narratives to its advantage, but Somaliland should not fall for the crocodile tears and we must separate sympathy calls from cold and calculated moves by Villa Somalia to exploit our fiery tragedy.

Some simpletons may wonder why Somaliland should categorically reject a delegation from Somalia if it’s welcoming similar delegations from other Somalis in the region, such as Djibouti and Ethiopia. The answer is simple: only Somalia hosts a sham election of imposters who claim to represent the people of Somaliland in Mogadishu while denying the will of the people of Somaliland, only Somalia, especially under Farmajo, has spent millions to destabilize and sow discord among the people of Somaliland. This unhealthy and fatalistic pursuit of keeping Somaliland under its thumb set the Somali government, not the people, apart from anyone else in the world. This simple yet profound difference is why the Somaliland government and its people should remain vigilant of false narratives from Somalia and especially when trying to exploit one of the biggest tragedies in Somaliland’s modern history.

As President Bihi said at the Heritage Foundation when asked about what makes him proud about Somaliland, our resiliency is our greatest asset that has sustained us for more than a quarter of a century of international isolation and will get us through the tragedy of the Waaheen market fire but while resiliency is our strongest suit, gullibility and falling for every trap set by Somalia, especially under Farmajo has been our Achilles’ heels and the supposed offer of help from Somalia should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Somaliland government has been criminally slow in setting the record straight, particularly about the truth of the World Bank funds — 12 million dollars — that Somalia is claiming to release and has given Somalia the ability to exploit and repackage narratives to their advantage. This lack of clarity and communication must change, and keeping the public informed is a priority that will help shut the door and preempt the Villa Somalia squatters from exploiting our consistent achievements or occasional tragedies.

Somaliland Chronicle is responsible for the content of this editorial.

Notice: This article by Somaliland Chronicle is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Under this license, all reprints and non-commercial distribution of this work is permitted.

Somaliland and Taiwan to Collaborate on implementing Digital Health Information Management System

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In a ceremony attended by officials from the Ministry of Health Development and the Taiwan Representative Office in Somaliland, the governments of Somaliland and Taiwan have unveiled the implementation of the Health Information Management Efficiency Enhancement Project (Digital Health). The project which will be piloted in a limited number of health care facilities will help digitize patient and hospital management is a collaborative effort between Somaliland’s Ministry of Health Development, Taiwan ICDF, and Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital.

This is one of many projects that Taiwan is working on with Somaliland since the establishment of the two countries’ bilateral ties and the second healthcare-related project. Previously, Taiwan and Somaliland have initiated the Maternal and Infant Health Care Improvement Project.

WEAPONS cannot increase human welfare, but HEALTH does

Ambassador Allen Lou

“Taiwan always has the will and ability to contribute to the international society. It is not acceptable that Taiwan has been politicalized not to join WHA and WHO activities to contribute more in the previous years. Taiwan believes that “WEAPONS cannot increase human welfare, but HEALTH does”. Taiwan will continue to safeguard the universal health values and to honor our commitments on health cooperation to benefit the people.” said Ambassador Allen Lou, Taiwan’s Representative in Somaliland.

The Deputy Minister of Health Development, Mr. Liban Yusuf Osman, who also spoke at the signing ceremony, said “The Somaliland government is committed to improving the national medical level. Under this project, bilateral health cooperation will be more comprehensive and productive”.

Computerized patient and hospital management systems have been standard in many developed countries and are attributed to the drastic reduction in medical mistakes and the case of pandemics such as COVID-19 tracing and tracking infections. Although Somaliland has higher cellular and internet penetration compared to similarly underdeveloped countries, Somaliland’s government has been slow to adopt technology to serve its citizens.

Taiwan, a technology powerhouse, is currently collaborating with the Ministry of Telecommunication and Technology on the implementation of e-government, secure data exchange between government entities, and a technology innovation hub. It’s unclear if the Ministry of Telecommunication and Technology will have a role in helping implement the health informatics project or have a future role such as ensuring the system is secure from cyber threats.

The lack of proper records to tally medical mistakes that occur in both public and private hospitals make it impossible to quantify the number of medical mistakes in Somaliland but there have been very public incidents where patients have been transfused with the wrong blood type or expired for lack of oxygen in Hargeisa Group Hospital. It is unclear if the sprawling Hargeisa Group Hospital is a candidate to pilot the digital health management system.

Can Somaliland Succeed Where Iraqi Kurdistan Failed?

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When, in 2003, a U.S-led invasion ended the decades-long threat that Saddam Hussein posed to Iraqi Kurdistan, Kurds had reason for optimism. For more than two decades, they had run northern Iraq as a state within a state. They received little if any international aid—the United Nations and donor nations insisted on channeling humanitarian assistance through Baghdad—but had nevertheless managed to create a functioning society replete with schools, universities, some small-scale industry, and their own defense force. The Kurdistan Regional Government’s budget was less than one billion dollars. They based its budget on taxation, customs duties from the Ibrahim Khalil/Habur border crossing with Turkey, and some remittances.

Kurds suspected they sat upon huge hydrocarbon resources. While Iraq’s lucrative Rumaila fields were 900 kilometers south of the Kurdish capital Erbil, oil fields on the outskirts of Kirkuk lay just 50 kilometers away from the Kurdish-Iraqi green line, close enough that Kurds could see the glow from the Baba Gurgur oil field and gas flare on the horizon at night.

After 2003, Kurds confirmed what they had long suspected: Their region was relatively rich with untapped hydrocarbon. Their followed a black gold rush. The Kurdish Regional Government sold exploration and development rights over various blocs to international oil companies, and collected advances to support the profligate spending of the ruling families. Corruption abounded. Investors found little recourse in the local judiciary system that answered more to political bosses than to the law. An avalanche of international arbitration cases found against Kurdish authorities. While Kurds expected a windfall, they soon found themselves more than $20 billion in debt, a burden for a region of six million people. Investors meanwhile pulled up stakes and departed for fields less blighted by the corruption and greed of local leaders. Iraqi Kurdish leaders, accustomed to being treated as the centers of the universe by their circles of courtiers, never fully grasped that they needed the oil companies more than the oil companies needed them.

Today, Somaliland has a similar opportunity. International oil companies are increasingly convinced Somaliland has rich reserves, and Somaliland authorities are looking to attract foreign investors.

While oil was ultimately a curse for Iraqi Kurdistan, Somaliland appears well situated to manage and benefit from the windfall. Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani and his son (and current Prime Minister Masrour Barzani) always took the attitude L’état, c’est moi. No business can operate in the region without making payments to prominent Barzanis and often taking them or their proxies on as ghost partners. Somaliland, however, has a long history of separating business and politics. In 1991, it was Somaliland businessmen who corralled political leaders to ensure a peaceful and stable system while the rest of Somalia descended into chaos. Today, the richest men in Somaliland are not the politicians but rather the country’s entrepreneurs. Some commercial monopolies or duopolies—especially in telecommunications and banking—may distort the regional economy, but they cannot prevent energy development nor, frankly, do they have any desire to. The net result will be an economy that expands rather than constrains.

Accountability also matters. While Somalia is among the world’s most corrupt states, Somaliland has a record of greater responsibility and is perhaps the cleanest country in the Horn of Africa or, for that matter, the Sahel. In 2019, for example, President Muse Bihi Abdi dismissed two ministers after the auditor general found them complicit in corruption. While critics can point to secrecy surrounding some past administration contracts and press freedom violations when journalists push too hard, the government is broadly transparent with regard to its expenditures. Most importantly, Somaliland’s history of genuinely contested elections encourages accountability. Political opposition does not hesitate to question and shine a light on any alleged impropriety.

Political stability is crucial. To win oil contracts in Somalia, companies must bribe or work through fixers, such as U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar’s brother-in-law. Somali officials, like Iraqi Kurds, often seek to sell blocs in areas they do not truly control or maintain only a tenuous hold. Somalia President Mohamed Farmaajo likely seeks to stay in power extra-constitutionally in part so he can cash in from what he imagines could be a Somali oil boon. Cutting deals with Russia or China might put money in his pocket, but it does little to alleviate concerns over Somalia’s political instability and terror threats. Somaliland contracts, in contrast, are safe and stable and, with relatively little risk and investment, Somaliland can transport oil and gas from the interior of the country to port.

A windfall after decades of deprivation can be dangerous. Many administrations allow greed and corruption to triumph over good governance and transparency. This in turn leads major energy companies to move on to safer locales with better business environments. That successive Somaliland governments have a history of allowing business to thrive and recognize that true stability depends on the ability of the industry to catalyze development and support a middle class offers more than hope. It makes Somaliland a far safer bet than many recent oil boom examples.

Michael Rubin is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute

Breaking – China Supplied Thousands of AK47s, Ammunition, and Portable Surveillance Drones to Somalia

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According to multiple sources privy to the military aid unveiled by China’s Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Mr. Xue Bing, the equipment provided was more than the handful of trucks and military ambulances presented at the event, instead, the shipment included thousands of AK47s, ammunition, cellular communication surveillance equipment and portable surveillance drones to the Federal Government of Somalia.

China’s Embassy to Somalia valued the shipment, which it describes as high mobility trucks, military ambulances, and water tankers, at five million US dollars.

The People’s Republic of China has appointed Mr. Xue Bing as its Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa in late February and this is the first trip to the region and Somalia.

Although a weapons embargo is in effect in Somalia under United Nations Resolution 2607, there are exceptions for armament intended for the development of the Somali National Army. It is unclear why the shipment of weapons was not shown in the transfer ceremony or if the People’s Republic of China reported the transfer of the military equipment to the United Nations Security Council as required by the resolution. China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has abstained from voting on Somalia’s weapons embargo resolution.

Shortly after the transfer of weapons by the Chinese Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa to Somalia’s top military commander, General Odowaa, and the Minister of Defense Mr. Abdiqadir Jama, sources report that Somalia’s Prime Minister has ordered the immediate seizure of the military equipment.

It is unclear why the Prime Minister has confiscated the equipment, but there has been an ongoing rift between Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdillahi Farmajo and Prime Minister Mohamed Roble. Farmajo’s attempt to extend his term after it expired in February 2021 plunged Somalia into further political turmoil.

China’s transfer of weapons to Somalia comes in the middle of President Muse Bihi Abdi’s high-profile visit to the United States, where he met various government officials from the Departments of Defense and State and members of House and Senate Foreign Relations Committees.

On Thursday, March 17th, high-ranking members of the US Senator introduced the Somaliland Partnership Act to require the Department of State to report to Congress on engagement with Somaliland and to conduct a feasibility study, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, regarding the establishment of a partnership between the United States and Somaliland.

The Somali Federal Government and the People’s Republic of China found their interests aligned when Taiwan and Somaliland established diplomatic ties in June 2020, and China’s effort to court Somaliland was rebuffed by President Bihi. Somalia and China claim Taiwan and Somaliland as part of their territories.

The only response to the arms transfer by China from the Somaliland government came as tweets from the Minister of Health, Mr. Hassan Gafadhi and from the Director-General of the Presidency, Mr. Mohamed A. Bile. Both officials pointed to the timing of the weapons transfer and called China’s action provocative.

Efforts to reach Somaliland government officials for comment on China’s transfer of military equipment to Somalia and if this signals a turning point in China’s approach in ratcheting pressure on Somaliland to give up its budding diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

The former Chairman of Waddani and presidential candidate, Mr. Abdirahman Abdillahi Irro, has criticized the Somaliland government for its bilateral ties with Taiwan and stated that China would have helped develop Somaliland as it has done in much of Africa. Officials from the Waddani party, including Hersi Haji Hassan, the Chairman, did not respond to questions about their view and the party’s stance on China’s transfer of military equipment, including large quantities of small arms, to Somalia.

President Bihi and his delegation in Washington DC are defending the same set of values upon which America’s core principles and values rest: Freedom and Democracy!

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By Hussein Adan Igeh (Deyr):

A quick glance of the diplomatic brilliance showcased by the President of Somaliland and his delegation in Washington DC shows that they are defending the principles for which they speak and on which our country’s vision rest: shared values of democracy, freedom, human dignity, and the rule of law that the U.S.A’s core values and principles stand for.

Despite the fact that Somaliland is surrounded by geographically hostile, hate-breeding, and jealous countries, despite the great diplomatic and security challenges that lie ahead for President Muse Bihi and his delegation, it is truly heartwarming and amazing to see how President Bihi and his delegation are determined to remain actively involved in all major security, diplomatic, economic and developmental aspects along Washington DC political power corridors without compromising upon the sovereignty, integrity, and independence of the Republic of Somaliland.

In this historic official state visit to the United States of America, President MBA and the members of his delegation are fully engaged in exploring in Washington DC all options on socio-economic, security, diplomatic and geostrategic advancement to achieve our national goals which best meet the needs and challenges facing the people of Somaliland today.

President Muse Bihi Abdi and his delegation are defending the most important, the most imperishable thing that the people of Somaliland have been cherishing for more than 30 years: Somaliland’s full recognition and independence as a free and self-determining nation.

Mr. President, the people of Somaliland worldwide are extremely grateful to you and your delegation for the valuable work you have done on our behalf.

ALLAH bless and protect the people and country of Somaliland.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eng. Hussein Adan Igeh (Deyr) is the Former Minister of Trade & Investment and Former Presidential Spokesman.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints of the Somaliland Chronicle and its staff. 

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Notice: This article by Somaliland Chronicle is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Under this license, all reprints and non-commercial distribution of this work are permitted.

Somaliland Partnership Act & The Solomon Islands

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Before highlighting the interests of the United States in a fully recognised Somaliland, there are benefits that Somaliland will continue to guarantee even without any recognition. These include the fight against piracy, anti-terrorism and being a progressive democracy. Often criticised for being a “peacocracy”, Somaliland people and government will protect their interior and external peace. Their homegrown democracy stems from their pastoral roots, and that is unlike to change with or without recognition because democracy enables the competing parties to transfer power fairly and peacefully. This ensures that, unlike Somalia, Somaliland will continue to be a reliable partner in the region without causing headaches in keeping the security and peace in the volatile region of the horn of Africa.

There are, however, equally important interests that are conditional on being fully recognised by the United States. To fully understand these, one needs to look at the situation of the Solomon Islands: Once a Taiwan ally, now its police force is being trained by China. This current example shows China’s aggressive foreign policy, targeting democracies that support the US and Taiwan. China’s influence in the Horn of Africa has continued to penetrate the political establishment. As such, one opposition party in Somaliland has toyed with the idea of seeking greater ties with China in the next upcoming presidential elections. We believe China’s capture of Somaliland will be inevitable if the United States continues with its one-Somalia policy. Like the Solomon Islands, the US might need to pay more to regain Somaliland in such a scenario. It is also feasible for enemies of the United States such as Iran and Russia gradually take interest and control of the Red Sea and Bab al-Mendab.

Learning from current and past experiences and proactively recognising Somaliland will ensure that all Somaliland political parties are pro-western. Recognising Somaliland as a fully democratic and Islamic nation will prove advantageous to US efforts to quash Islamic extremism affecting the region and the Arab world. In addition, Somaliland’s most recent partnership with Taiwan will enable it to be accepted within its own defined international dominance. This is important for Africa where only a fully recognized Somaliland can show the way to economic prosperity without being indebted to China.

On 4 April 2022, Somaliland and Somalia will be separated for a period longer than their union. Notwithstanding the colonial history, the last three decades have been long enough to make these two countries different, and Somaliland’s recognition mainly accepts the reality dictated by time. While recognising a new country is a headache, Somaliland is an exceptional case that will not repeat in Africa as per the African union fact-finding mission report of 2005. This report has been ignored by Africa similar to how most African countries did not vote for UN resolution against Russia. That’s why if the US Senate is not ready to recognise Somaliland directly, it should suggest a process by the African Union to act on the 2005 report.

In the past 30 years, Somaliland has acted as a de facto peacekeeper in the region, and for that, the geopolitical interest of the United States remains unchallenged. Somaliland shares and upholds the democratic values and the security interest of the United States and its allies. Without formal recognition or a roadmap from key stakeholders within the United States political establishment, exogenous factors can undermine the security state of the region.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Abdirahman Mohamed Abdi Daud is an Australian Somalilander and Software Engineer. Works as a principal developer in a fintech company. Melbourne, Australia. Mr. Daud is also a Non-Resident Scholar at Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, Hargeysa Somaliland

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints of the Somaliland Chronicle, and its staff. 

Creative Commons License

Notice: This article by Somaliland Chronicle is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Under this license, all reprints and non-commercial distribution of this work is permitted.

McCaul, Smith Lead Bipartisan Letter on Increased Engagement with Somaliland

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Press Release 03.14.22

Media Contact 202-225-5021

Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul (R-TX), Africa, Global Health, and Global Human Rights Subcommittee Lead Republican Chris Smith (R-NJ), and other bipartisan House members sent a letter to Secretary Blinken calling for increased engagement with Somaliland. 

The letter was signed by:

Lead Republican Michael McCaul (R-TX), Rep. Chris (R-NJ), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), (D-NJ), Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI), Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), and Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH)

“We write to urge the Biden Administration to consider increasing and deepening engagement with Somaliland on issues of mutual diplomatic, economic, and security interests,” the lawmakers wrote. “Somaliland’s geo-strategic location on the Gulf of Aden, consistent support for democracy, cooperation on countering terrorism, piracy, and other security threats in the region, relations with Taiwan, and growing economic potential warrants that the United States explore additional opportunities to partner with Somaliland.”

The full text of the letter can be found here and below. 

Dear Secretary Blinken

We write to urge the Biden Administration to consider increasing and deepening engagement with Somaliland on issues of mutual diplomatic, economic, and security interests. Somaliland’s geo-strategic location on the Gulf of Aden, consistent support for democracy, cooperation on countering terrorism, piracy, and other security threats in the region, relations with Taiwan, and growing economic potential warrants that the United States explore additional opportunities to partner with Somaliland.

Recent events in the Horn of Africa have upended feeble stability in the region and further jeopardized prospects for a peaceful resolution to multiple regional and domestic issues. With civil war embroiling Ethiopia, with Eritrean involvement; return to military rule in Sudan; delayed elections and political infighting fueling increasing instability in Somalia, amidst unabated terrorist activity by Al-Shabaab; and the worst drought the region has seen in over forty years, the U.S. must rethink our current strategy of engagement to address these immense challenges and the threats posed to U.S. national security interests.

Somaliland has functioned autonomously for three decades—it maintains its own security, its own financial system, and its own trade relations. Several countries in the region, including Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya, maintain diplomatic relations and trade with Somaliland, even though they don’t formally recognize its independence. Some appear to have increased their engagement in the past year: Ethiopia, for example, recently upgraded its diplomatic representation by promoting its representative in Hargeisa to the rank of ambassador, and Kenya opened a Liaison Office in Somaliland last year. The United Kingdom, European Union, United Arab Emirates and Turkey also have representation in Hargeisa.

Strategic engagement with Somaliland would be a critical counterweight to China’s increasing investment in the Horn of Africa. Djibouti, which has long served as the U.S.’s staging ground for U.S. military operations in the region, has become vulnerable since China operationalized their own naval base just eight miles from Camp Lemonnier in 2017. One year later, two U.S. pilots suffered injuries from Chinese-deployed lasers, underscoring the significant threat presented to U.S. operations and regional access going forward. With Djibouti’s debt to China reportedly increasing to more than 70 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), China has ample leverage to gain a further foothold in the country and could conceivably pressure Djibouti for other political and strategic advantages that further undermine U.S. military operations. It is critical that the U.S. government pursues other strategic opportunities, like access to Berbera’s renovated airport and port, to safeguard our economic and security objectives in the Horn of Africa against further Chinese investment in Djibouti. Somaliland presents a democratic alternative, which has consistently resisted China’s encroachment and could ensure a continued U.S. presence on the Gulf of Aden.

Somaliland also established bilateral relations with Taiwan in September 2020 and exchanged representation shortly after. Somaliland and Taiwan have maintained close engagement, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan provided Somaliland with donated COVID-19 vaccines. The U.S. should take steps to support a deepening relationship between the Somaliland and Taiwan, as required by the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019, (P.L. 116–135), which calls on the U.S. government to consider additional engagement with nations that have strengthened, enhanced, or upgraded relations with Taiwan. The federal government of Somalia, meanwhile, does not maintain relations with Taiwan.

This Administration has stated that strengthening democracy and elevating democratic partners is a top global priority. Somaliland has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to hold peaceful, credible, and competitive elections and has shown a commitment to democracy and representative government for decades. USAID has partnered with the International Republican Institute and other civil society partners to support election preparations, increased transparency and voter education and deploy election observers, in fact Somaliland’s 2021 elections were the first in the world to be secured by biometric iris scans. Hargeisa has made important progress to advance democracy and effective governance and the Administration should seek to consolidate and reward this, particularly amidst further democratic backsliding elsewhere in the region.

With these political, economic, and security imperatives in mind, we urge the Administration to increase diplomatic engagement with Somaliland officials, senior leadership travel, and consider a permanent presence in Hargeisa. Increased partnership with Somaliland should be a priority and will mutually benefit U.S. and Somaliland interests. We thank you for your attention to this important matter.

 ###

Breaking — United States Government Pledges Direct Engagement with Somaliland

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According to sources present in today’s meeting between the delegation led by the President of Somaliland Muse Bihi Abdi and officials from the Departments of State and Defense and USAID, the two sides agreed on cooperating on a range of issues, most notably security and economic cooperation. Sources add that President Bihi held a brief private discussion with Molly Phee, who heads the Bureau of African Affairs.

Security cooperation that was discussed by President Bihi’s delegation and officials from the Department of Defense, as well as members of Africa Command, will include direct cooperation with Somaliland security forces in counter-terrorism and maritime security. This will be the first time the United States works directly with Somaliland on matters pertaining to security. Sources declined to confirm if the United States will share critical and real-time intelligence for counter-terrorism purposes.

A statement issued by the State Department Bureau of African Affairs confirmed the meeting between President Bihi’s delegation and US government officials and the discussion of US engagement with Somaliland and although it ended that all cooperation will be within the framework of a single Somalia policy, sources stated that the only time Somalia came up in a conversation was a question that was posed to President Bihi on his view of the possibility of further Somaliland and Somalia talks when there is a different regime in Mogadishu where he responded that he sees little value in continuing such fruitless talks and that Somaliland already has what it wants and that is its independence and sovereignty.

One of the immediate things that will be implemented as part of the discussion between the governments of the United States and Somaliland is to update the State Department’s Travel Advisory to reflect the favorable security conditions in Somaliland.

Although far from recognition, the pledge by the United States Departments of State and Defense of direct engagement with the Republic of Somaliland reflects a turning point in US government policy where the Executive Branch of the US government is not in alignment with members of Congress and will implement the security cooperation in Senator Risch’s Amendment in the Defense Authorization Act.

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