Mogadishu — Somalia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ali Balcad, has challenged Somaliland’s case for international recognition, arguing that the territory it claims is not politically unified and does not reflect current realities on the ground.
In an article published by Al Jazeera, Balcad said that recognizing Somaliland would not promote stability but could instead deepen divisions within Somalia and increase tensions across the Horn of Africa.
He argued that Somaliland’s claim based on the borders of former British Somaliland ignores present-day political dynamics, pointing in particular to unrest linked to the SSC movement in the northeast and grievances in the Awdal region.
“Not all communities within the claimed territory accept the authority of Hargeisa,” he said, framing internal consent as a key issue in the recognition debate.
Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, maintains that it meets the requirements of statehood through functioning institutions, elections, and relative stability compared to Somalia’s decades of conflict.
However, Balcad said elections and governance structures alone are insufficient if parts of the population reject the administration’s authority.
His remarks shift the debate beyond the traditional dispute between Mogadishu and Hargeisa, raising questions over whether Somaliland exercises full political control across the territory it claims.
The Somali government continues to argue that international recognition of Somaliland would undermine Somalia’s territorial integrity and risk encouraging further fragmentation in the region.
Somaliland, meanwhile, has stepped up diplomatic outreach in recent years, highlighting its strategic location along the Red Sea and the Port of Berbera as part of its case for recognition.
