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Somaliland is a former British territory located in
the northwest region of Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In May of 1991, northern clans declared an independent
Republic of Somaliland that now includes five of the eighteen administrative regions of Somalia, roughly the
region between Ethiopia, Djibouti and
the Gulf of Aden, an area of about 137,600 square kilometres. The capital
of Somaliland is Hargeisa.
Although not recognized by any government, this entity has maintained a stable existence, aided by the overwhelming dominance
of a ruling clan and economic infrastructure left behind by British, Russian, and American military
assistance programs.
History
Formerly the British Somaliland Protectorate, shortly after gaining independence British Somaliland merged with Italian Somaliland in 1960 to form Somalia. The prime minister of
British Somaliland, Haji
Ibrahim Egal, became a minister in the new republic of Somalia. He became Prime Minister in 1967 but a coup deposed him in 1969.
In 1991, after the collapse of the government in Somalia, the territory asserted its
independence as the Republic of Somaliland, although it has received little if any international recognition. Egal was elected
president in 1993, re-elected in 1998 and remained in
power until his death on May 3, 2002. The vice
president Dahir Riyale Kahin was declared the new president
shortly afterwards.
Since independence Somaliland has been in constant dispute with Puntland over the Sanaag and Sool regions. Colonel Abdillahi Yusuf's Puntlander forces have led several
small scale invasions of Somaliland's eastern border. Sanaag is a large percentage of Somalilander territory. Such an annexation
of national land could possibly cause the country to become unstable in the unrecognized nation.
Since these border disputes have been taking place President Dahir Riyale Kahin has been silent which has caused suspicions and talks of a presidential recall. It
has become unclear to some Somalilanders as to where their president's alliances lie and to whether the president believes in the
sovereignty of Somaliland and its people. Amongst all those problems the economy has gotten worse under President Kahin. Saudi Arabia's embargo is attributed to
the matter as well.
Geography
Region claimed by Somaliland
Somaliland borders Djibouti, Ethiopia and Puntland. The 5 regions of Somalia within Somaliland include:
The population has been estimated at about 3.5 million. The capital, Hargeisa, has a population of about 300,000.
See also
External link
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