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From Failed Union to Restored Sovereignty: The Legal Case for Somaliland Statehood

Abstract Since 1991, following Somaliland’s withdrawal from the failed union with Somalia, no single country or international organization has granted it de jure recognition. This changed in December 2025, when Israel unilaterally recognized Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state. While international law does not impose a strict obligation on states to recognize new entities, it provides a framework for assessing statehood. This article critically examines the legal basis of Somaliland’s claim to the restoration of statehood and its pursuit of international recognition within both classical and contemporary frameworks of international law. It analyses key instruments of hard law, including the Charter of the United Nations, the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Constitutive Act of the African Union, alongside relevant soft law instruments and customary international law, particularly state practice and opinio juris on recognition. It further assesses whether the legality of such a claim may be referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) through the advisory opinion procedure. The article concludes by identifying viable legal and institutional pathways through which Somaliland may advance its claim to international recognition. Keywords: Somaliland, restoration of statehood, recognition, failed union, secession, dissolution, de facto, de jure