Formerly a British colony, Somaliland briefly reached its independence
in 1960. It is one of the three Territories, with Puntland and former
Italian Somalia that compose the current State of Somalia.
Somaliland proclaimed its independence in 1991, adopting its own
currency, a fully independent government, working institutions and
police. The authorities organized a referendum in 2001, advocating
once again for full independence. However, to date, it is not
internationally recognized.
Ethiopian Prime minister Meles Zenawi is the only one to speak about a
Somalilander president, recognizing implicitly the existence of an
independent State. Indeed the economy of neighboring Ethiopia
dramatically depends on Somaliland stability, since the landlocked
country’s main trade route passes through the Somalilander port of
Berbera… And vice-versa, the economy of Somaliland largely depends on
the taxes and duties it charges Ethiopia. Besides that, the principal
economic activity of Somaliland is livestock exportation to the
Arabian Peninsula. Most people are Sunni Muslims and speak Arabic, as
well as some Somali dialect and many of them, English.Lastely, the
East African demography being based on clan alliances, it is no
surprise that the frontiers drawn by the colonists don’t match the
ethnic divisions of territory, leading to open clashes. More broadly,
this problem is recurrent across the African continent.
© Eric Lafforgue
www.ericlafforgue.com
Urvii, RedArt photographer, MadInBKK, Safiul azom's Photostream, and 138 other people added this photo to their favorites.
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2muchtee 16 months ago | reply
Hi there Eric...you have such an eye...my hats off again....wonderful!!
Massimo De Dominicis 15 months ago | reply
Grazie! Ho visto la tua foto nel gruppo.... Un'altra perla nera! / Another black pearl!
fran-taylor 7 months ago | reply
Oh wow...
Elias Sol 2 months ago | reply
Like a little African Monroe, great shot!!