A major opportunity to tackle the Red Sea crisis is “staring Britain in the face” if it is willing to end 33 years of an “unfair” diplomatic isolation of a former outpost of the Empire. With the UK and USA firing at Houthi targets in Yemen after terrorists have attempted to target shipping through one of the key trade routes in the world, the UK has a major Brexit opportunity to finally embrace an important ally.
Former Defence Secretary Sir Gavin Williamson, who has been a close adviser and friend to Rishi Sunak in the past, is leading the push for the UK to formally recognise its former protectorate Somaliland.
The country on the Horn of Africa with a 531-mile coastline, has in effect been in dependent for 33 years and operating as a stable democracy but gone unrecognised because of a huge international dispute.
Somaliland has gone unrecognised because neighbouring Somalia lays claim to it. The lack of formal recognition has persisted though Somaliland has been operating as a stable, democratic, independent state for 33 years while for much of that period Somalia has been riven with civil war, a base for piracy and in effect under the control of competing warlords.
Sir Gavin first picked up the issue when he was Defence Secretary and recognised the strategic importance of Somaliland as well as their case for recognition.
The country’s major port of Berbera is a key haven for shipping, a significant important export point for East Africa and a potential location to base UK and US warships.
The former cabinet minister told Express.co.uk that the lack of recognition of the country which has strong links and affection for the UK is “unfair and unjust”.
But with the military crisis in the Red Sea and a deal struck with Somaliland in a memorandum of understanding by Ethiopia, there are hopes that the UK can act.
Ethiopia’s recognition of Somaliland came as a result of it needing an ally with a port after it lost its coastline with the independence of Eritrea. But the diplomatic move underlined the problems with the issue with large organised protests in Somalia claiming that Ethiopia was trying to grab its coastline.
“This is a peaceful, stable, democratic country with its own army, government, tax system and legal system. It is a country where women get access to education and health services. They are literally doing everything we would want, and they want to be our ally.
“Compare that to Somalia where the President [Hassan Sheikh Mohamud] can’t even control his capital Mogadishu let alone the rest of his country then we have to ask what we are doing here.
“There is no doubt that the current crisis in the Red Sea emphasises the caser for recognition. We could be using Berbera as a port for Royal Navy ships.”
After three decades of civil war and brutality where English was banned in schools and thousands of people from Somaliland were forced to flee, the former British protectorate declared independence again in 1991 and has been running its own affairs since.
Rother Valley Conservative MP Alexander Stafford pressed the Prime Minister in the Commons after the first attack on Houthis to agree to formal recognition of Somaliland, something which the UK almost did in 2012.
He told Express.co.uk: “Somaliland, a relative haven of democracy, freedom, and education in an otherwise unstable region, has been seeking recognition for a third of a century.
“The UK’s position is that regional recognition must come before international recognition and Somaliland recently signed MOU with Ethiopia is the first step on that road.
“The UK must not wait any longer and take advantage of our unique diplomatic position as the UN Penholder to formally recognise Somaliland and continue our legacy of supporting democracies the world over.”
She studied at university in London as a young woman and has many links to the UK.
Despite her country’s unrecognised status, she has led work for the UN in north Africa as a trained nurse and has opened a maternity hospital in Somaliland.
She told Express.co.uk: “We are a peaceful country. If you travel anywhere in Somaliland, you can walk down the street in complete safety.
“The supplies going through to Ethopia have not been looted or stolen.
“Our borders were agreed long ago by the British and are established on maps. We just want the recognition we deserve.
“Somaliland is a country which is a friend to Britain. We were the 12th African nation to be given independence and the UK helped us to achieve it.
“We can be an important ally in these troubled times and in better times but Britain needs to help end this injustice.”
By David Maddox
