Former British Defence Secretary and now a member of the House of Commons, Gavin Williamson, has said he has comprehensive information showing that the US is recognising Somaliland.
Williamson, in an interview with The Guardian, said the US is making a major shift in its policy towards Somalia, moving away from the “one Somalia” policy, according to sources he has obtained from US officials.
“I have spoken to a number of people this week, and one of the things I have heard from them is that recognition is going well. They have also moved away from the one Somalia policy,” Williamson said.
Williamson believes the US will be the first country to formally recognise Somaliland. He said President Trump will complete the recognition before the end of his term.
Ambassador Baashe Omar, the former Somaliland envoy to the UAE and Kenya, also told The Guardian that US officials he met recently in Abu Dhabi expressed disappointment with the “one Somalia” policy.
“The news we are getting from behind the scenes is encouraging. The United States is moving in the right direction,” said Ambassador Omar.
Somaliland’s Minister of the Presidency, Khadar Hussein Abdi, who spoke on May 29 at the opening of the Somaliland Office in Kenya, said that relations between Somaliland and the United States are on a good path, and that good news can be expected.
“The work is also going on in Washington. The Foreign Minister and his advisors are working very hard. Soon, men who I know will be able to do it will be coming,” the Minister said.
The Federal Government of Somalia, for its part, is making efforts to block Somaliland’s diplomatic relations with the world, in collaboration with legal institutions based in the United States. Somalia has also described the recognition of Somaliland as a violation of its sovereignty.
The Somali government recently suspended the use of Taiwanese passports, citing the relationship between Taiwan and Somaliland, which angered American diplomats.
