Kani Torun, a diplomat and former Turkish ambassador to Somalia, said there is no legal basis for recognizing Somaliland, which was part of Somalia before it declared independence in 1991.
Torun argued that the only differences between Somaliland and Somalia are clan and federalism, but that this can be completely overcome if the parties abandon their rigid positions and embrace unity in their common religion and language.
“Somaliland’s independence makes no sense in terms of ethnicity, religion, sect and language. Somaliland and other regions of Somalia are not different in these respects. The only difference is clan and federalism, which can work well for all of Somalia. If each clan were given its own state, Africa would have more than 500 countries,” the former Turkish ambassador said.
However, Torun insisted that the federal government of Somalia must resolve security challenges to gain full political confidence and achieve lasting peace after 30 years of conflict. This includes combating Al-Shabaab, which remains a major threat to the country’s stability.
“So, the biggest problem in the Somalia-Somaliland issue is Mogadishu. If Mogadishu solves the political and security problems in other regions, Somaliland would not have a strong reason to argue. So blaming Somaliland is useless, let’s work on Mogadishu,” he said.
His comments echo those of former US ambassador to Somalia Larry Andre, who said that hasty recognition of Somaliland could lead to further instability. He suggested that the US could open a consulate in Hargeisa to provide diplomatic services.