Somaliland’s Main Opposition Leader Calls on UK, USA, and IC to End Futile Engagement and Embrace Interest-Based Recognition.
In a high-level diplomatic push, Mohamoud Hashi Abdi, Chairman of Somaliland’s largest opposition party KAAH, urged Britain, the United States, and the international community to abandon decades of “futile, ideology-driven engagement” and adopt a pragmatic, interest-based pathway to Somaliland’s recognition.
Speaking after a “fruitful and candid” Tuesday-morning meeting with Rt Hon Kim Johnson MP, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Somaliland, Mr Hashi delivered a five-point roadmap that resonated strongly in Westminster corridors.
Key Highlights from the Closed-Door Talks
The Cost of Isolation
“Thirty-four years of international limbo have starved Somaliland of investment, stalled infrastructure, and left our youth vulnerable to migration and extremism,” Mr Hashi said. “This status quo is not neutral—it actively undermines Horn of Africa stability.”
A Kosovo-Style ICJ Shortcut
The KAAH leader renewed calls for an International Court of Justice advisory opinion, stressing that Somaliland never legally united with Somalia in 1960. “The 2005 African Union fact-finding mission already confirmed our unique case. It’s time global jurists, not politicians, settle the matter.”
African Union “No Longer Fit for Purpose”
Mr Hashi argued the AU has failed to implement its own 2005 Ezulwini recommendations. “Continental bodies are paralysed by Somalia’s veto. Recognition must now come from capitals that value results over rhetoric.”
Post-Brexit Britain Must Lead
Challenging the UK to shed the “One Somalia” straitjacket imposed by the 1994 US State Department and reinforced by Hillary Clinton, he declared:
“Brexit promised an independent foreign policy. Recognising Somaliland would be its first strategic dividend in the Red Sea lane.”
Great-Power Race at Berbera’s Doorstep
Warning of expanding Chinese, Russian, and Gulf footprints along the Gulf of Aden, Mr Hashi cautioned:
“Somaliland remains proudly Western-leaning, but a weakening global order leaves us no eternal luxury of patience. Mutual interests—counter-piracy, counter-terrorism, critical-mineral supply chains—demand reciprocity today.”
A Warm Nod to a Long-Standing Friend
Mr Hashi placed Ms Johnson “among the historic ranks of Somaliland’s greatest champions—alongside Archibald Hamilton and Ethel Crowther”. He thanked her for consistent, principled advocacy and invited her to lead a cross-party parliamentary delegation to Hargeisa in 2026.
“Somaliland is not begging for charity—we are offering partnership.
Recognise us not because we are perfect, but because we are profitable—for your security, your supply chains, and your conscience.”— Mohamoud Hashi Abdi, KAAH Party Chairman
The meeting signals a new, assertive phase in Somaliland’s diplomacy: less pleading, more deal-making. With a stable democracy, a booming port, and zero tolerance for Al-Shabaab, the Somaliland republic is pitching itself as the Horn’s most reliable anchor.
#RecogniseSomaliland #InterestBasedDiplomacy #HoAStability