The Somali people are fiercely nationalistic. Colonialism split them into five segments divided between four different powers. Thus decolonization and pan-Somalism became synonymous. In 1960 a partial reunification took place between British Somaliland and Somalia Italiana. Africa Confidential wrote at the time that the new Somali state would never be beset by tribal division but this discounted the existence of powerful clans within Somali society and the persistence of colonial administrative cultures. The collapse of parliamentary democracy in 1969 and the resulting army--and clanic--dictatorship that followed led to a civil war in the 'perfect' national state. It lasted fourteen years in the British North and is still raging today in the 'Italian' South. Somaliland re-birthed itself through an enormous solo effort but the viable nation so recreated within its former colonial borders was never internationally recognized and still struggles to exist economically and diplomatically. This book recounts an African success story where the peace so widely acclaimed by the international community has had no reward but its own lonely achievement.

Can ‘traditional’ leaders and institutions help to build more legitimate, accountable and effective governments in polities or ‘states’ under (re)construction? This book investigates the case of “Somaliland”, the 20-year old non-recognized state which emerged from Somalia’s conflict and state collapse. A careful analysis of Somaliland’s political history, it outlines the complex and evolving institutional and power dynamics involving clan elders, militia leaders, guerrilla movements, as well as politicians and civil servants in its emerging state structures. While showing the great potential of endogenous processes, it clearly demonstrates the complexity and the politics of those processes and the necessity to think beyond one-size-fits-all state-building formulas.

"In 1991, the leaders of the Somali National Movement and elders of the northern Somali clans proclaimed the new Republic of Somaliland. Since then, in contrast to the complete collapse of Somalia, Somaliland has successfully managed a process of reconciliation, demobilization, and restoration of law and order. They have held three successful democratic elections and the capital, Hargeysa, has become an active international trading center. Despite this display of good governance in Africa, Somaliland has yet to be recognized by the international community. International efforts have been directed toward the reunification of Somalia, which has failed, even after 14 peace conferences and international military intervention. Warlords continue to overrun and destabilize southern Somalia while Somaliland works to build peace, stability, and democracy. How long will it be before this African success story achieves the recognition it deserves?" -- Product description.

Sayyīd Muhammad `Abd Allāh al-Hasan (Somali: Sayid Maxamed Cabdille Xasan or Sayyid Mahammad Abdille Hasan), (April 7, 1856, in northern Somalia - December 21, 1920 in Imi, Ogaden) was a Somali religious and nationalist leader. Referred to as the Mad Mullah by the British, he led an armed resistance in Somalia for a period of over 20 years against British, Italian, and Ethiopian forces. The author of this book was Secretary to the Administration, Somaliland, 1916-21.

Lewis brings his considerable knowledge of the area to set out in accessible form and in highly readable style the complexities of Somali societal and clan structure, traditions, and historically significant events. This information handbook is recommended briefing material for aid workers or journalists visiting the area. Essential reading for those planning to visit or work in Somalia, and for the general reader with an interest in the Horn, it lifts the veil on a fascinating and functioning heritage.

British Somaliland provides a history of the administration of the British Somaliland Protectorate from the time when Somaliland first became governable, following the defeat of Abdullah Hassan, to independence. Describing the interplay between general imperial policies, and greater realities and developments in Somaliland, the focus of the book remains on the mechanism by which the Protectorate was operated. The regime that developed was, in the end, a highly autocratic despotism, generally benign but occasionally predatory. Independence, when it arrived, was, in retrospect, a tragedy. Somaliland was absorbed into Somalia and a governmental style which suited the conditions of the Protectorate was dissolved into something very different. Since the collapse of Somalia, re-emergent Somaliland appears to be attempting to re-connect to a past remembered as something of a golden age. Highly topical, as Somaliland is re-emerging, this book is an invaluable resource for students and scholars of African History, Imperial History and British History.

Little known to the outside world, Somaliland has much to offer the truly intrepid traveller. This pioneering guidebook introduces one of the world's least chartered travel destinations. Author Philip Briggs covers everything from the low-key capital Hargeisa and mediaeval port of Berbera to peerless rock art sites such as Las Geel, and the scenery and wildlife of the Daallo Escarpment, towering 2,000m high above the pristine reefs of the Gulf of Aden. Somaliland's ruined cities and historical ports date back 5,000 years and have links with ancient Egypt and Axum in northern Ethiopia, as well as the Ottoman and British Empires. This guide offers background and practical information to every accessible corner of the country with the only real maps in existence of its capital and other large towns, and a section on wildlife.