[War & Business] Why 'Somaliland', Unknown Even to Trump, Is Shaking the International Community

Concerns Over Division Across Africa and the Middle East
The Complex Issue of Unrecognized States and Conflicting Interests

On the 26th of last month (local time), residents gathered in the city of Hargeisa, Somaliland, to celebrate Israel's announcement of recognizing Somaliland as a sovereign state. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Somaliland, a small unrecognized country in Africa that cannot be found on any world map, has emerged as a major international issue at the very beginning of the new year. Israel’s sudden announcement that it would recognize Somaliland as a country has sparked strong backlash from African and Middle Eastern nations. Given the already severe civil wars and divisions in Africa, it is difficult to predict what kind of ripple effects the recognition of Somaliland as a country will bring.

Somaliland was originally one of the autonomous regions located in western Somalia, Africa. Its entire northern coastline faces the Gulf of Aden, making it a strategic point along the Red Sea trade route. In 1960, Somaliland gained independence from Britain, and Somalia from Italy; the two immediately merged into a single federal state. However, when the Somali civil war broke out in 1991, Somaliland declared independence from Somalia and, for more than 30 years, has operated as a de facto separate country with its own laws, military, and currency.

The autonomous government of Somaliland has made considerable efforts to gain recognition as an independent country. In 2008, when Somali piracy was at its peak, Somaliland trained its own navy and actively assisted the United Nations-led international coalition in combating pirates, even providing land for military bases. By leading anti-piracy efforts in place of war-torn Somalia, Somaliland significantly raised its international reputation.

Nevertheless, it has not been recognized as an independent country. One major obstacle is Somaliland’s strategic location along the Red Sea trade route. The interests surrounding the Red Sea, through which 20 percent of global logistics pass daily, are extremely complex. In particular, regional powers such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey strongly oppose Somaliland’s independence. They argue that if Somalia, which only barely stabilized after the anti-piracy campaign in 2013, is officially split in two, it could once again descend into prolonged civil war, endangering the security of the Red Sea trade route.

Furthermore, with Yemen’s Houthi rebels, located north of Somalia, attacking merchant and oil tankers in the Gulf of Aden, any renewed chaos in Somalia could disrupt international logistics. For Turkey, whose Black Sea trade route has been virtually blocked by the war in Ukraine, and for Saudi Arabia, which must secure its oil export routes through the Red Sea, this is a matter of national survival.

Additionally, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League countries are pressuring Israel to also recognize the Palestinian Authority as a state, given its recognition of Somaliland. Saudi Arabia criticizes Israel’s stance as contradictory, pointing out that while both are unrecognized entities, Israel insists the Palestinian Authority should be integrated into Israel.

Another obstacle to Somaliland’s independence lies thousands of kilometers to the east: Taiwan. If Somaliland’s independence is recognized by the international community, the issue of Taiwan-an unrecognized state in East Asia-would inevitably resurface on the global stage.

Since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi remarked on the possibility of intervening in a Taiwan crisis, China has continued to respond strongly, making the international community reluctant to discuss the Taiwan issue. Even former U.S. President Donald Trump, criticized for his pro-Israel stance, opposed the recognition of Somaliland, asking, “Where is Somaliland?”-a reflection of these complex underlying issues.