The direction that Somaliland’s Foreign policy was steading is completely changing, until 2021 the President of the Republic of Somaliland, Musa Bihi Abdi, assumed Dr. Essa Kayd as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The Somaliland Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Flowing the pathway of two main points that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Dr. Essa set it up to lead the foreign policy of Somaliland which was Engagement and. Community empowerment achieved one of these twos Goals which is Engagement
The general objective that guide the Engagement was the activities and relationships of the Somaliland Government interacting with other states The development of a foreign policy that influences the domestic considerations, the policies or behavior of other states, or plans to advance specific geopolitical designs, all of these resulted In an unprecedented step in the history of the Republic of Somaliland, and as a result of the continuous diplomatic efforts made by the Somaliland Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Diplomatic Representative Office in Washington,
Finally, President Joe Biden signed the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act #NDAA# into law, while both the House and Senate passed the FY 2023 defense funding bill this week.
SOMALILAND
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The Horn of Africa faces an increasing number of complex challenges, yet the State Department continues to work on outdated policies and diplomatic frameworks that do not meet today’s challenges. I am pleased to see the most important piece of Somaliland legislation included in the Department of Defense budget for the fiscal year 2020, which will require the United States to explore all possible mutually beneficial relationships with stable and democratic partners, including Somaliland. I look forward to engaging with the State Department on this matter in the coming months.”
Report and Feasibility Study on Cooperation to Meet Common National Security Interests in East Africa (Article 1275):
Requires the State Department to submit an annual report to Congress on U.S. assistance to Somaliland, as well as the feasibility of a U.S.-Somaliland partnership, including opportunities for cooperation on regional security issues
WHAT ARE THE RELEVANT PART OF THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2023 IN THE REPUBLIC OF SOMALILAND IN THE GENERAL BUDGET OF THE US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE?
SEC. 1356. FEASIBILITY STUDY AND REPORT RELATING TO SOMALILAND.
(A) FEASIBILITY STUDY.–The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall conduct a feasibility study that–
(1) includes consultation with Somaliland security organs;
(2) Determines opportunities for collaboration in the pursuit of United States national security interests in the Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Aden, and the broader Indo-Pacific region;
(3) Identifies the practicability of improving the professionalization and capacity of Somaliland security sector actors; and
(4) Identifies the most effective way to conduct and carry out programs, transactions, and other relations in the City of Hargeisa on behalf of the United States Government.
(B) REPORT.–Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall submit a classified report to the appropriate congressional committees that contain the results of the feasibility study required under subsection (a), including an assessment of the extent to which–
(1) Opportunities exist for the United States to support the training of Somaliland’s security sector actors with a specific focus on counterterrorism and border and maritime security;
(2) Somaliland’s security forces were implicated, if any, in gross violations of human rights during the 3-year period immediately preceding the date of the enactment of this Act;
(3) The United States has provided or discussed with officials of Somaliland the provision of training to security forces, including–
(A) Where such training has occurred;
(B) The extent to which Somaliland security forces have demonstrated the ability to absorb previous training; and
(C) THE ABILITY OF SOMALILAND SECURITY FORCES TO MAINTAIN AND APPROPRIATELY UTILIZE SUCH TRAINING, AS APPLICABLE;
(4) A United States diplomatic and security engagement partnership with Somaliland would have a strategic impact, including by protecting the United States and allied maritime interests in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and at Somaliland’s Port of Berbera;
(5) Somaliland could–
(A) Serve as a maritime gateway in East Africa for the United States and its allies; and
(B) Counter Iran’s presence in the Gulf of Aden and China’s growing regional military presence;
(6) A United States security and defense partnership could–
(A) Bolster cooperation between Somaliland and Taiwan;
(B) Stabilize this semi-autonomous region of Somalia further as a democratic counterweight to anti-democratic forces in the greater Horn of Africa region; and
(C) Impact the capacity of the United States to achieve policy objectives in Somalia, particularly to degrade and ultimately defeat the terrorist threat posed by Al-Shabaab, the Islamic State in Somalia (the Somalia-based Islamic State affiliate), and other terrorist groups operating in Somalia; and
(7) The extent to which an improved relationship with Somaliland could–
(A) Support United States policy focused on the Red Sea corridor, the Indo-Pacific region, and the Horn of Africa;
(B) Improve cooperation on counterterrorism and intelligence sharing;
(C) Enable cooperation on counter-trafficking, including the trafficking of humans, wildlife, weapons, and illicit goods; and
(D) SUPPORT TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING HOW SOMALILAND COULD BENEFIT from Prosper Africa and other regional trade initiatives.
(c) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.–In subsection
(b), the term “appropriate congressional committees” means–
(1) The Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on
Armed Services of the House of Representatives; and
(2) The Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate
Gulaid Yusuf Idaan
