Page 32 - Nile Explorer Issue 12

The expansion of the Port of Berbera, the building of the road linking the town to the Ethiopian border and the planned construction
of the multi-million Berbera Economic Free Zone has brought life into the once sleepy city of Somaliland.

and Somalia to dialogue over their satisfy all the criteria for statehood in legislature. There is an independent
future status and clarifying their future customary international law. It possesses judiciary
relationship, which had started in 2012, a permanent population, a defined ECONOMY
collapsed in 2015. Attempts to resurrect territory, a government and the capacity The official Somaliland currency is the
the talks, in 2016, proved fruitless. to enter into relations with other States. Somaliland shilling (SlSh). It is regulated
Somaliland continues to assert its In 2016, over a million Somalilanders by the Central Bank of Somaliland which
sovereignty and independence to the signed a petition supporting the was constitutionally established in 1994.
international community, including country’s recognition (Somaliland Sun, The most important sector in
through the UNPO. Somaliland argues 23 August 2016; VOA news, 24 August Somaliland is livestock production
that it is not looking for recognition, 2016). which is predominately pastoral and
but rather‘re-recognition’ since it was Somaliland is about the size of England agro-pastoral in Somaliland employing
granted independence as a British and Wales with an area of 137,600km² over 70% of the population. Livestock
protectorate in 1960, five days before it (68,000 sq. miles). Somaliland is situated is the major export of Somaliland
agreed to merge with Somalia. on the eastern horn of Africa and lies accompanied by its by-products i.e.
Somaliland wants the international between the 08°00′ – ′30°11 parallel hides and skins while the country
community to re-recognize its decision north of the equator and between heavily depends on imports of food, fuel
to end the voluntary union with Somalia, 42°30′ – ′00°49 meridian east of the and manufactured products.
in line with other African precedents Greenwich. It shares borders with Livestock production in Somaliland
and in accordance with the African Republic of Djibouti to the west, Federal contributes to 60% of GDP and
Union (AU)’s principle of “respect[ing] Republic of Ethiopia to the south and around 85% to foreign export earnings
the borders existing on achievement Somalia to the east. Somaliland has a (Somaliland National Development
of independence” (Charter of the coastal line to the north of the country, Plan, 2012 – 2016). Somaliland’s
Organization of African Unity (OAU), which extends 460 miles along the Red agricultural sector accounts for around
Resolution AHG/Res.16(I), July 1964). Sea. 17% of the economy making it the
The AU Commission sent a fact- Hargeisa is the capital of Somaliland second most important sector.
finding mission to Hargeisa in 2005 with an estimated population of 0.65 Somaliland’s economy is also heavily
to investigate the case for Somaliland million. The other main towns are dependent on remittances sent by the
becoming a member, and therefore being Burao, Borama, Berbera, Erigabo and global Diaspora which equates to around
recognized as a State. The delegation Las Anod. $1 billion per annum.
then recommended that Somaliland be POLITICAL SYSTEM
treated as a special case. But in 2007, the The country has a republican form of It has its own functioning political
AU accepted the argument put forward government. The legislative assembly and governance system and structures
by the Transitional Federal Government is composed of two chambers – an of state, judiciary (though Sharia
of Somalia that the time was not ripe. elected elder’s chamber, and a house of law applies in some rural areas), law
The AU has not looked at the matter representatives. An elected President enforcement, a police force and an army.
since. and an elected Vice-president head the It has its own currency though the US
Whilst Somaliland remains a ‘State-in- government. The President nominates dollar has supremacy.
waiting’, it nevertheless continues to the cabinet which is approved by the It has an estimated population growth

32 | The Nile Explorer 012