Crowds in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, kept up celebrations into a second day following comments from President Donald Trump that distinguished the territory from Somalia, calling it “a totally different country.”
Video posted on social platform X showed thousands of people gathered in central Hargeisa, waving American flags — including one held upside down — and setting off fireworks as they thanked Trump for his remarks. Other footage from the city showed residents dancing and celebrating what they described as recognition that Somaliland is distinct from Somalia.
One supporter, Ahmed Abdlahi, wrote on X that formal recognition from Trump would be remembered for generations. “If President Donald J. Trump formally recognizes Somaliland, history, and generations to come, will remember him as a leader who helped bring Somaliland’s aspirations into a new era,” he wrote. “Somaliland can become the ‘Taiwan of Africa,’ advancing through innovation, technology, and economic prosperity.”
Trump’s comments followed an interview in which Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi told Breitbart News that Trump was a “great man.” Abdullahi said Trump “could make more history by recognizing a new country called Somaliland.”
“I think President Trump is a great man. He made history, and he could make more history by recognizing a new country called Somaliland, which will cooperate unconditionally in the fight against terrorism, in the fight for marine security, and safer world trade routes as well, in a strategic, very important location.”
Somaliland was first formally recognized as a country by Israel in 2025. Following Trump’s remarks, the territory’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued a press release saying his comments “affirm” that Somaliland “has its own internationally defined borders, inherited at independence and consistent with the African Union’s principle of respect for borders existing at independence.”
A Long Push for Recognition
The Republic of Somaliland declared independence on June 26, 1960, and says it restored its sovereignty within those 1960 borders on May 18, 1991. Since then it has built its own institutions and held repeated presidential, parliamentary and local elections, including a November 2024 presidential vote that marked what the government calls its sixth peaceful transfer of power.
“The Government of the Republic of Somaliland remains committed to peaceful relations with its neighbours and to resolving differences through respectful dialogue,” the ministry’s press release said. “It expresses its gratitude to President Trump for acknowledging the reality of the Republic of Somaliland as a sovereign, independent country. This affirmation comes alongside the Republic of Somaliland’s formal recognition by Israel and its established partnership with Taiwan. The Government looks forward to working with President Trump’s Administration to deepen constructive engagement between the two sides.”
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