Somalia rejects US senator’s call to recognize Somaliland

[Deeq A.]

WASHINGTON, United States — Somalia has rejected a proposal from US Senator Ted Cruz urging President Donald Trump to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent nation, warning that such a move would undermine its sovereignty, embolden extremists, and threaten stability in the Horn of Africa.

In a statement issued Thursday, Somalia’s embassy in Washington reaffirmed Mogadishu’s position that Somaliland remains an integral part of the Somali Republic.

The embassy stressed that the country is “a steadfast security partner of the United States” and pointed to unprecedented levels of military coordination in 2025, with more than 20 joint US–Somali strikes against ISIS and Al-Shabaab so far this year — a pace it said, “significantly surpasses that of prior years.”

“Any policy that weakens Somali sovereignty would only embolden extremists and threaten the stability of the entire Horn of Africa,” the embassy warned, adding that terrorist groups “gain ground only when Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity are undermined.”

Cruz’s appeal

Cruz’s call came in a letter to Trump on Thursday, urging recognition of Somaliland “within its 1960 borders.” He praised the self-declared republic’s democratic governance, stable political institutions, and strategic location along the Gulf of Aden — one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors — as assets for US security and economic interests.

The senator argued that recognition would reward a “stable, self-governing” partner and help counter China’s growing influence in the region.

He accused Beijing of using economic and diplomatic pressure to punish Hargeisa for maintaining ties with Taiwan, including supporting Mogadishu’s decision earlier this year to bar Taiwanese passport holders from entering Somaliland.

Cruz also pointed to Somaliland’s willingness to host a US military presence and its alignment with US allies, such as Israel, and its backing of the Abraham Accords.

Somalia’s position

Somalia, however, maintains that Somaliland’s 1991 declaration of independence — made in the aftermath of Somalia’s civil war — is illegitimate. Mogadishu insists that internal disputes must be resolved through dialogue, not through unilateral recognition by foreign powers.

Its position is backed by the African Union, which recognizes Somalia’s territorial integrity and has resisted setting a precedent for secession that could reverberate across the continent.

While Washington engages with Somaliland on security and development matters, US policy remains unchanged: Somalia is recognized as a single sovereign state.

The debate comes as the US weighs its strategy in the Horn of Africa — a region where counterterrorism, great-power rivalry, and maritime security intersect. The Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb Strait are vital chokepoints for global shipping and energy flows, and instability in Somalia could disrupt these routes.

Somaliland, a former British protectorate, enjoyed brief independence in 1960 before uniting with Italian Somaliland to form the Somali Republic. Despite maintaining peace and holding multiple elections over the past three decades, it remains diplomatically isolated.

For Somalia, the embassy’s statement made clear, unity is not just a constitutional principle but, in its view, a cornerstone of regional stability and an essential condition for sustaining security gains made in partnership with the United States.