Mohammad A. Omar: Somaliland at 65: Resilience, hopes for recognition
This file photo taken on May 18, 2016 shows a woman holding a flag of Somalia's breakaway territory of Somaliland during an Independence day celebration parade in Hargeisa.
Today, 65 years ago, on June 26, 1960, the people of Somaliland raised a free flag in the skies over Hargeisa, the birthplace of the first independent Somaliland republic recognised by over 30 countries. Both Somalia and Kenya were under colonial administration at that time. But after a short period. The new independent Somaliland merged with Somalia in a voluntary union with Somalia when it gained its independence from Italy on July 1 in that year, with the aim of uniting all Somali-populated areas in the Horn and East Africa — a goal that history proved to be unattainable.
Although that independence lasted shortly after the merger, it was not extinguished. In 1991—amidst the collapse of the Somali state—Somaliland reclaimed its sovereignty. Today, we mark a dual legacy: one of historic independence and one of modern endurance.
