Somaliland: An Examination of State Failure and Secession Movements

Abstract

The collapse of Somalia’s central government in 1991 has fissured the state into three distinct socio-political regions. South-central Somalia struggles to emerge from a devastating state crisis and exhibits no institutional capacity; Puntland, the northeastern region of Somalia, declared itself a semi-autonomous federal state in 1998 but exhibits widespread poverty; Somaliland, the northwest region of Somalia, maintains a relatively stable society under a self-declared, but unrecognized, independent government. Despite a hostile geographical and political climate, Somaliland has undergone numerous peaceful electoral turnovers, a rarity in post-colonial Africa. In light of the striking juxtaposition between south-central Somalia and Somaliland, this paper explores both the links between state failure and secession movements as well as examines Somaliland’s attempt to secede.