A new era for Somaliland relations

[Deeq A.]

By Michele Maresca

Despite calls to the contrary from their respective powerful neighbors, Taiwan and Somaliland continue to expand their relationship, endowing it with important new prospects.

Fitting into this bigger picture is the historic Coast Guard Cooperation Agreement signed last month. The common goal is to move the already strong bilateral relationship toward operational cooperation, with significant and tangible mutual benefits to be observed.

Essentially, the new agreement commits the parties to a course of conduct that is expressed in three fundamental activities: cooperation, intelligence sharing and technology transfer. This reflects the desire — shared by both nations — to achieve strategic results within the context of their respective national interests.

For Somaliland, binding itself to an international agreement — signed with a foreign nation rather than with a UN mission — represents a significant piece in the puzzle of its progressive assertion of global status.

Sharing information and acquiring new expertise from Taiwanese authorities also adds a security component, which makes the agreement extremely beneficial for Hargeisa from several perspectives.

For Taiwan, the agreement marks a significant starting point for increasing its influence in a region crucial to global trade. It also demonstrates how Taipei intends to shape its relationships with like-minded partners: through cooperation over imposition, a partnership of equals rather than one of inequality and the pursuit of shared general interests over narrow self-interests.

This approach reveals a stark contrast with the behavior of China in its dealings with African partners. This is where “debt-trap diplomacy” comes into play — a term describing Beijing’s deliberate strategy to progressively subjugate nations that receive its generous loans to later exert a dominant influence over those nations’ domestic and foreign policy decisions.

The difference between the two models is the secret to Taiwan’s diplomatic success in the Horn of Africa, particularly with Somaliland. It reinforces the certainty that Taipei’s broader interests align with, rather than oppose, Hargeisa’s claims against the backdrop of a mutually beneficial partnership that allows both parties to pursue their goals without sacrificing their independence and autonomy.

It is no surprise that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to the first visit of Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdirahman Dahir Adam — during which the historic maritime cooperation agreement was signed — as an event that “reflects the strength, resilience and shared values of our democratic partnership.”

The bond between Somaliland and Taiwan is based on the mutual belief that only through an agreement between equals could they fully satisfy their legitimate national needs. This “partnership of equals” challenges the traditional notion of a powerful nation dominating a weaker one and seeks to redraw the geopolitical dynamics of the Horn of Africa.

Regarding China’s investments in Africa, it is worth remembering that a dam operated by China completely collapsed in Zambia, releasing 50 million liters of acidic mining waste into the Kafue River basin (a vital lifeline for 60 percent of the population). This incident stands as a clear example of the consequences that might arise from that kind of partnership.

Returning to Taiwan-Somaliland relations, the latest developments do not stop with the maritime cooperation agreement. Also last month, the government of Taiwan financed the reconstruction and modernization of a key road in Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa.

The road, now renamed “Taiwan Avenue,” connects the airport and the city, as well as the people of Somaliland to the world. As the Taiwanese Representative Office in Somaliland said, the reconstruction of the road “embodies our nations’ cherished friendship and partnership.”

It added that the project is founded on three clear objectives: “improving the well-being of the people of Somaliland, boosting the local economy and advancing Taiwan-Somaliland relations.”

Through these measures, Taipei aims to provide its African partner with the necessary tools to compensate for the lack of external (international) legitimacy resulting from the non-recognition of its sovereignty and independence — a situation that is at odds with the substantial reality experienced in the case of Somaliland.

The evolution of the relationship between Somaliland and Taiwan demonstrates that, despite threats from authoritarian actors, shared values and respect for each other’s identity can foster alliances in which both parties can protect their interests without having to sacrifice anything to satisfy a dominant counterpart’s needs.

This is how the success of this partnership, whose foundational principles merge into a mutually beneficial outcome, can be explained.

Michele Maresca is an analyst at Il Caffe Geopolitico, an online international law journal, and the think tank Geopol21.

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