The Honorable Larry André Jr.
Former United States Ambassador to Somalia,
Dear Ambassador André,
Re: Recognition of Somaliland as a Sovereign State
We, the Somaliland Intellectual Organization, are writing to respectfully
challenge your recent assertions against recognizing Somaliland as a
sovereign state.
As a nation with a proven track record of democracy, stability, and security, we believe that recognition would be a significant
step forward for our people and the region.
1. Rebutting the Destabilization Argument
While we understand concerns about regional stability, we strongly
believe that recognition would actually enhance stability in the Horn of
Africa.
Somaliland has consistently demonstrated its ability to maintain peace and stability, even in the face of adversity. By recognizing our sovereignty, the US government would be acknowledging and reinforcing
our stability, rather than undermining it.
2. Addressing the Alienation and Empowerment Concerns Regarding potential alienation of Somalia and empowerment of al-Shabaab, we would like to highlight our long-standing cooperation with international partners on counter-terrorism efforts.
Recognition would enable us to further strengthen our partnerships and contribute to regional security, ultimately benefiting Somalia and the broader region.
We are committed to working with Somalia and other regional partners to build trust and cooperation
3. The African Union’s Role and Fact-Finding Mission – We value the African Union’s role in regional affairs, but we’d like to emphasize that the AU’s own fact-finding mission in 2005 found that Somaliland met the conditions for independence and was historically justified in its pursuit of statehood.
The mission’s summary explicitly recommended Somaliland’s recognition by the AU. Despite this, the AU has not acted on the report’s findings.
We urge the US government to consider
the AU’s own assessment and take a proactive role in supporting
Somaliland’s recognition.(AU Fact-Finding Mission 2005) Moreover, we’d like to emphasize that Somaliland is not creating problems for the African Union to recognize us. Instead, Somaliland is ready and
willing to engage with the AU and other international organizations to discuss our status and future.
We believe that recognition would be a positive step for the region, and we’re committed to working with the AU and other partners to achieve this goal.
4. No Problematic Precedent –
Finally, we would like to address concerns about setting a problematic
precedent.
Somaliland’s case is distinct, given our history, democratic governance, and strategic importance. Recognition would be a thoughtful and context-specific decision, acknowledging our unique strengths and
contributions. We are not seeking to set a precedent for other regions, but rather to have our sovereignty recognized based on our own merits.
In conclusion, we urge the US government to reconsider recognition of Somaliland in light of our arguments. Given the evidence and our unique circumstances, we respectfully advise that it would be prudent to revisit
and revise your position on Somaliland’s recognition, as we firmly believe it is not aligned with the facts and would be beneficial for regional stability, security, and cooperation.”
Sincerely,
Mohamed Ali
Chairman of Somaliland Intellectual Organization
