Somaliland was a British colony that was basically left untouched culturally and economically. Its main economic activity was cattle herding and export of beef. Ishaq is the dominant clan.
On July 1, 1960 British Somaliland joined Italian Somalia to form an independent state of Somalia as a Republic.
Somaliland is a poor area with livestock herding as its main economic activity. The colonial administration introduced few changes and independence did not improve the area as development activities were concentrated in the south especially in the area around the capital of Mogadishu. Somaliland was also politically marginalized because the Ishaq clan had its nationalistic organization and did not join the Somali Youth League that played a major role in independent Somalia. Ibrahim Egal, the first prominent politician from the north became prime minister in 1967 only to be overthrown in 1969. After that the relations between the north and the south deteriorated.
A combination of economic and political challenges led to mobilization along clan lines. The Ishaq of Somaliland formed the Somali National Movement (SNM). The SNM sought and received support from the military regime in Ethiopia. It established bases in Ethiopia, obtained arms and military training and broadcasting facilities. It began guerrilla activities against the Somali government from Ethiopia. Intense fighting with the Somali troops reduced the northern towns of Hargeisa and Berbera to rubble. The Somali government used mercenaries to fly the bombing raids that destroyed the northern towns. Many were killed and many others fled the region into Ethiopia where they became refugees.
By the end of the 1980s civil war dissolved Somalia into clan conflicts. As the Siad Barre regime crumbled in January 1991 every clan mobilized to capture state power. The dominant clan of Hawiye in the Mogadishu area succeeded and formed the next government without consulting other clans. The Hawiye clan pretensions that it represented the Somali nation were rejected by other clans.
In these circumstances, public opinion in Somaliland favored secession. On May 18, 1991, the SNM declared Somaliland independent and revoked the Union. Secession was justified on grounds of neglect and brutal treatment culminating in mass executions in Hargeisa by the Siad Barre regime in the late 1980s.
What is significant to note is that the SNM received substantial external support and did not act alone as some people have argued. Another point is that Somaliland is still isolated and operating outside the AU and the UN systems.
The information is provided as part of civic education.
Eric