David Blair in Johannesburg

Posted by David  Blair at 23 Oct 06   16:31  

It was an innocent slip of the tongue but my host visibly winced. Earlier today, I made the great mistake of referring to the country I'm now in as " Somalia". I was legally correct and any map of the world shows the town where I'm staying - a place called Hargeysa - as being firmly inside Somalia.

The real Somalia - a far cry from peaceful Somaliland

But Hargeysa is also the capital of the enclave of Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia and seized de facto independence 15 years ago.

This allowed Somaliland to avoid the mayhem which has engulfed southern Somalia ever since. If your mental image of this part of the world is dominated by Kalashnikov-toting fanatics riding land cruiser sporting an array of heavy weaponry, think again.

No-one carries guns in Hargeysa and there has been no fighting here since an outbreak of clan warfare ended 11 years ago. Instead, everyone here shudders at the very mention of the word " Somalia" and glories in their independence.

Somaliland has its own flag, currency, anthem, army and elected government. There is only one hitch - no country recognizes its independence. So this nation of 3.5 million people does not officially exist.

Somaliland 's government, under President Dahir Rayale Kahin, is trying to win outside recognition. Without it, Somaliland gets no international aid or loans and its national budget is a pitiful 20 million pounds.

Somaliland was a British Protectorate between 1884 and 1960, so its government wants London's recognition above all else.

Kahin says that Somaliland under his leadership is a secular, pro-western, Muslim democracy. There are not many of these in the Horn of Africa. It occupies a strategically crucial position on the Gulf of Aden, with a major port at Berbera. So Somaliland could be a valuable western ally.

But so far, Kahin is not making much headway. The Arab League, which includes Somalia as a member, is adamantly opposed to recognizing Somaliland. So are some African countries, who fear that recognition would encourage their own separatists. So Somaliland drifts on in a strange limbo.

This is by far the oddest place I have ever visited.

Posted by David  Blair at 23 Oct 06   16:31

David Blair has been the Daily Telegraph's Africa Correspondent since June 2004. When not touring the continent, he lives in Johannesburg. He was previously based in the Middle East, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

Source: Daily Telegraph