Cambridge, MA, January 30, 2010 (SL Times) – A group of twenty-five scholars, diplomats, lawyers, military officers, shipping industry officials, and other experts on maritime piracy and Somalia from nine nations who convened at the Harvard Kennedy School in December 2009 have recommended that one of the ways of exerting control over and reducing the threat from pirates is to recognize Somaliland.

“If African states and the AU can be persuaded to recognize the now independent but otherwise unacknowledged polity of Somaliland, doing so will strengthen the incentives for Puntland, which aspires to greater autonomy, and parts or all of the remainder of Somalia to make similar progress in terms of political institution building. Recognition of Somaliland will thus assist in strengthening accountability and governance in regions that are now pirate infected. Indeed, if Puntland knew that international engagement were possible, following on a full recognition of Somaliland, a powerful incentive would exist for Puntland to exert control over and reduce the threat from pirates on its soil,” the experts said

Click below for the full text of the group’s recommendations for combating maritime piracy off the Somalia coasts:    

Combating Maritime Piracy: A Policy Brief With Recommendations For Action

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