Breakaway region Somaliland hopes for links with Ireland

The British used to say that we were the Irish of Africa,” said Abdillahi M Duale, the foreign minister of Somaliland, a breakaway region that runs along Somalia’s north-western coast on the horn of Africa.

With a population roughly equivalent to that of Ireland and a history teeming with struggles for independence, the British may have had a point.

One difference, however, is that Somaliland, although autonomous, has yet to be recognised by the rest of the world. But if Duale and his government have their way, that could be about to change.

In recent months, Duale has been on an international mission to forge ties and set out the case for the recognition of Somaliland. He has visited London, Paris and Washington, where he was treated to full diplomatic protection, a rarity for a representative of an entity that has not been recognised.

Source:The Sunday Business Post,Ireland