The United States on Wednesday rejected international recognition for breakaway Somaliland and called for calm after the region’s leaders signed a deal with Ethiopia.
Somalia accused landlocked Ethiopia of attacking its sovereignty after Addis Ababa reached the agreement with Somaliland that gives long-sought access to the Red Sea.
Somaliland, a former British protectorate of about 4.5 million people, declared independence from Somalia in 1991, a move not recognized internationally and staunchly opposed by Mogadishu.
Honestly I think we should recognize it. The place has been de-facto independent for decades now and effectively operates as its own state. It has a historical basis for its existence (not to say this is required to create in an independent state, but it helps explain why the people in the region might want one) and has its own military force such that reuniting it with the rest of Somalia would require another war over the matter. Given this, what is the point of making life harder for the people that live there by subjecting upon them the difficulties that come with living in an unrecognized state?
The decision may stem from the belief that recognition would start such a war, which may be a real possibility, but I agree that it has basis for recognition