US Congressman Scott Perry has introduced what he describes as the “Somaliland Independence Act” to congress, potentially bringing Washington one step closer to becoming the first to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state.
Perry, a Republican, made the announcement in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.
“I just introduced the Republic of Somaliland Independence Act to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent nation,” his post reads. “For more than three decades, Somaliland demonstrated the kind of governance, stability, and cooperation that America should support. Foreign adversaries are on the march in Africa and around the globe, and it’s in our national interest to strengthen relationships with partners who share our values and contribute to our security – whenever and wherever prudent.”
Somaliland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lauded Perry’s bill as affirming “three-decade record of peace, democratic governance, and regional stability.”
A similar bill was introduced to US Congress in 2022 but failed to garner support from lawmakers. This time, analysts say the bill is more likely to pass under the Trump administration.
They observe China’s stance against recognizing Somaliland is pushing the US in the opposite direction as the two global superpowers continue to assert their interests in the Horn. The “foreign adversaries” in Perry’s social media post is almost certainly a reference to China.
Meanwhile, Beijing is providing increasing levels of support to Mogadishu, in fear the recognition of Somaliland will provide more steam to Taiwan’s quest for statehood. Taiwan itself is also involved in the Horn.
In December, Taipei sent delegates to attend the inauguration ceremony for Abdiraman Irro, newly elected president of Somaliland. China has since issued a statement condemning any form of official exchange between Taiwan and Somaliland.
It is unclear when the bill will be put to a vote.