US airstrikes in Somalia kill 15 al-Shabab fighters
FOX NewsAPR 2023
Violence and tensions in Somaliland stem from its territorial claims and alleged statehood. And while the narrative of an undisputed and homogeneous state territory doesn't match the facts, right-wing voices are growing louder in Washington, calling for Somaliland to be recognized as an independent state in a neocolonial maneuver and for geopolitical considerations. If the US should take this step and thus further undermine Somalia's already fragile statehood, it will lead to an incalculable erosion of security.
The most prudent way to address the territorial dispute between Somaliland and Puntland is to recognize autonomous Somaliland as an independent state. Somalia has explicitly asked the US for recognition, and Washington shouldn't just agree to this for its own strategic benefit but also to impose the resolution of the land conflict with Puntland as a precondition for recognition. Denying Somaliland, which meets international criteria for statehood, the right to self-determination is a recipe for continued violence.