Somaliland President Abdirahman Irro has accused Somalia’s federal government of lacking authority beyond Mogadishu and described Somaliland as a stable regional security partner during a speech in Washington.
Speaking at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., Irro addressed political and security developments in the region, with particular focus on Somaliland's long-running dispute with Somalia and its ambitions to play a greater role in regional security.
"The Somali government does not have the legitimacy and power to govern beyond Mogadishu, and it has become the epicentre of instability in the Horn of Africa," Irro said.
"Somalia has not only failed to govern its people and territory, but it has used the sovereignty it possesses as a political weapon to constrain Somaliland," he added.
The remarks come against the backdrop of a decades-old dispute over Somaliland's status. Somaliland declared that it was restoring its independence from Somalia in 1991, following the collapse of Somalia's central government.
Somalia's federal government, however, considers Somaliland part of the country's territory and rejects its claim to sovereignty.
Irro also sought to frame Somaliland's independence campaign as a historical and constitutional question rather than simply a separatist movement.
"Somaliland does not seek to redraw the borders left by colonialism; it seeks to restore the borders it previously had," he said.
The president argued that the debate over Somaliland's political status must be viewed in the context of the territory's history, the collapse of Somalia's union and what he described as the restoration of Somaliland's statehood.
Somaliland, a former British protectorate, briefly gained independence in June 1960 before voluntarily joining the former Italian-administered Trust Territory of Somalia to form the Somali Republic.
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The union collapsed after years of political tensions and civil war, with Somaliland declaring its withdrawal from the union in 1991.
Since then, Somaliland has established its own government institutions, security forces, currency and political system while seeking international recognition as an independent state.
Irro highlighted what he described as more than three decades of institution-building, including several competitive elections and peaceful transfers of power.
He also pointed to Somaliland's security record as a key argument for greater international engagement, saying the territory had maintained relative stability for decades despite the wider insecurity affecting Somalia and the Horn of Africa.
According to Irro, Somaliland has not experienced a terrorist attack for more than two decades, while its security forces have worked to protect its territory, coastline and population.
His comments came as the Horn of Africa faces a complex security environment involving militant groups, political disputes, maritime insecurity and competing regional interests.
Somaliland has increasingly sought to position itself as a strategic partner for international powers because of its location along the Gulf of Aden, near one of the world's busiest maritime corridors.
The territory's strategic importance has also grown amid heightened international attention to Red Sea and Gulf of Aden security.
Irro's appearance in Washington was part of Somaliland's broader diplomatic campaign to win international recognition and strengthen political and security partnerships, despite continued opposition from Somalia and the wider international community to unilateral changes in the country's territorial status.
About the Author
Ahmed Omar is a senior journalist for Somali Report, based in Mogadishu. He has two decades of experience reporting on Somalia for international and local media. He covers politics, security, governance, business, trade, economic developments and regional affairs.
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