Video summary
The proposed construction of 45 kilometers of roads in Hargeisa presents a complex geopolitical dilemma that Somaliland's editor, Said Ibrahim, argues is less about genuine development and more about Somalia asserting its sovereignty claim over the self-governing territory. Although Mogadishu frames this initiative as a federal project funded by World Bank programs to improve infrastructure, Ibrahim contends that this approach effectively blurs the distinct lines between Somalia and Somaliland on the ground. By accepting funds designated for "Somalia" where Somaliland is treated merely as an administrative region rather than an independent state, Hargeisa risks validating Mogadishu's territorial claims while simultaneously undermining its long-standing push for international recognition of its independence.
The situation becomes particularly contentious given that Israel has recently become the first UN member to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign nation, raising the stakes significantly in this dispute. Ibrahim points out a fundamental contradiction: if Somaliland truly desires investment rather than aid, accepting these specific World Bank funds is problematic because they are not direct investments but rather development assistance tied to Somalia's federal structure. He highlights that Mogadishu itself cannot afford such projects due to its own security challenges and economic instability, making the involvement of international bodies like the World Bank essential yet politically damaging for Somaliland's status as a recognized country.
Financially, Ibrahim asserts that accepting these funds is unnecessary given Somaliland's robust budget of nearly $400 million annually, which easily covers the cost of a $20 million road project without external intervention. He criticizes the World Bank and international donors for perpetuating an "addiction to aid" by offering such small fractions—sometimes less than 5% of total projects—to Somaliland instead of fostering direct investment relationships that would respect its sovereignty. The editor warns that continuing down this path compounds existing mistakes, as every acceptance of these federally framed funds reinforces the narrative that Somaliland is merely a province rather than an independent state capable of managing its own affairs and finances.
Ultimately, Ibrahim concludes that while there may be options to reframe how projects are presented or funded without direct cooperation between Mogadishu and Hargeisa's authorities, the current trajectory favors Somalia politically at the expense of Somaliland's independence goals. He urges Somaliland leadership to think carefully about accepting these initiatives, noting that doing so hands a political victory to Mogadishu despite its lack of moral or financial deservingness in this context. The core issue remains whether international development funding can be decoupled from territorial claims; currently, the mechanism forces Somaliland to accept Somalia's definition of itself within those projects, thereby weakening rather than strengthening its bid for global recognition as a separate nation.
Read the full video transcript
a development project or a power play.
Somalia says it wants to build 45 km of
roads in Hargeisa, the capital of
Somaliland, a territory that has
governed itself for more than three
decades, but which Mogadishu still
claims as its own. Somaliland wants the
investment funded through a wider World
Bank program, but by presenting the
project as a federal initiative, Somalia
is reinforcing its claim over Somaliland
and challenging its push for
independence.
The dispute now carries greater
international weight after Israel became
the first UN member member state to
recognize Somaliland as an independent
country.
Joining us now is Said Ibrahim, the
editor of Somaliland Chronicle. Thank
you for joining us. Is this a positive
story of potential cooperation or is
Somalia using international development
funding to strengthen its sovereignty
claim over Somaliland?
>> Uh it's actually the latter. Uh and
again, you know, you've actually uh put
this in a in a way that, you know,
makes, you know, like incredibly fair
uh in in how you framed it. You know, it
it's nothing more than a power play for
Somalia to try and blur the line that
is, you know, between Somaliland and
Somalia. And at least uh you know, kind
of show the world that it's actually
doing, you know, X Y Z in a territory it
does not control. And that that's, you
know, basically the facts on the ground.
>> Mhm.
>> But it gets a little bit worse because,
you know, again, obviously this is not a
funding [clears throat] that's got
coming from uh Somalia itself.
Somalia can't afford anything. Yeah, you
know, up to and including its own
security of of its capital. I mean, that
that's pretty obvious, right?
>> Mhm.
>> But, you know, this is coming from the
World Bank. And World Bank, by
extension, does not recognize
Somaliland. So,
you know, again, the framing is wrong in
how the the the federal government is
trying to present this as a project that
it's doing in Somaliland, which is
absolutely uh nonsense.
But, at the same time, the fault really
lies with Somaliland, uh you know, for
actually accepting it. Because, like you
said, you know, the stakes are much
higher. It is a recognized country.
And, you know, again, accepting these
projects kind of you know, tie it, you
know, a little bit more to Somalia than
extricating it and then kind of going in
the right direction. So, we think this
is actually a a not a positive step.
Somaliland can afford these projects.
Um you know, I mean, 20-some million,
Somaliland's budget this year is close
to $400 million. That that that's not a
lifeline. Mhm. I mean, it's a funding
error that Somaliland can actually
afford to fund itself.
>> But, Somaliland has said that it wants
the investment for the project, but can
it move forward without direct
cooperation between Mogadishu and
Somaliland's authorities? Uh is there
another way to frame this so that they
can still get the investment through the
World Bank? What are the options here?
>> So, there's there's a couple options. I
mean, there's there's an arrangement, uh
and again, these mistakes are
compounding, right? Like I said, this is
really not the only projects that's
ongoing at the moment in Somaliland.
There's, you know, quite a number of
them. There's one with the, you know,
Central Bank and the World Bank in
again, in a larger context of a project
that's being funded, you know, for what
the World Bank terms as Somalia, and it
treats Somaliland as as part of that,
right? So, you know, again, Somaliland
really needs to, you know, kind of think
hard. Uh and again, this is, you know,
uh
>> [clears throat]
>> you know, like like when the president
speaks to the world and he says, you
know, we want investment, not aid. This
is aid. It it's not investment. Uh so, I
mean, it it's hard to really justify,
you know, saying I'm a separate country,
yet I'm getting this
>> [snorts]
>> you know, like it's it's trying to, you
know, kind of uh play uh sort of a word
uh you know, jujitsu. It it doesn't
work. And and again, it it it hands
Somalia a win it doesn't deserve.
>> Now, what about the World Bank and its
role in all of this? Could it risk
appearing to support Somalia's
territorial claim, even if the project
is intended or presented purely as
development aid if it does go through?
>> Now, you know, again, the World Bank
does support, you know, Somalia and its
territorial integrity, if that means
anything to anybody these days. But, you
know, the World Bank is, you know,
obviously does not recognize Somaliland.
And the only way funds like these can
actually land in Somaliland
is if it accepts it and it gets treated
like a federal member state.
Right? Now,
like sort of like wording differences,
you know, when you really, you know,
look look into these documents. But
again, this money is being given to
Somalia with, you know, again, the
tiniest amount earmarked for Somaliland.
We're not even talking about 50/50.
We're talking about a percent that's not
even 5% of the total project at times.
So again,
you know, again, when when you when you
compare this to Somaliland's national
budget, which is, you know, 420 plus
million, you know, for 2026,
I believe it can actually afford to fund
a $20 million road. Right? And and
anybody to say otherwise, you know,
either doesn't know math or I I think
there's an addiction in, you know, to
aid and, you know, it's time to behave
like uh you know, we should encourage
more investment.
>> Interesting. We'll have to see if and
how this project uh does move forward.
Said Ibrahim, thank you so much for uh
joining us.