Somaliland (Somali: Soomaaliland, Arabic: أرض الصومال Arḍ aṣ-Ṣūmāl) is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia.[1][2] The government of Somaliland regards the territory as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of Somaliland,[3][4] before uniting with the Trust Territory of Somalia (the former Italian Somaliland) later the same week to form the Somali Republic.[3][4][5][6][7]
Somaliland is bordered by Ethiopia in the south and west, Djibouti in the northwest, the Gulf of Aden in the north, and the autonomous Puntland region of Somalia to the east.[8]
In 1988, the Siad Barre regime committed massacres against the people of Somaliland, which were among the events that led to the Somali Civil War. The war left the economic and military infrastructure severely damaged. After the collapse of the central government in 1991, the local government, led by the Somali National Movement (SNM), declared independence from the rest of Somalia on May 18 of the same year.[1][9][10]
Since then, the territory has been governed by an administration that seeks self-determination as the Republic of Somaliland (Somali: Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliland, Arabic: جمهورية أرض الصومال Jumhūrīyat Arḍ aṣ-Ṣūmāl).[11][12][13][14] The local government maintains informal ties with some foreign governments, whom have sent delegations to Hargeisa.[1][15][16] Ethiopia also maintains a consulate in the region as well as in neighboring Puntland,[17][18] and has an embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital.[19] However, Somaliland's self-proclaimed independence remains unrecognised by any country or international organisation.[1][20][21]
The following outline is provided as an overview and topical guide to Somaliland:
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