The Facts
At least 20 people have reportedly been killed and dozens injured in Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland as anti-government protesters and security forces have clashed for more than a week, with Somaliland officials appealing to demonstrators to stop protesting and engage in negotiations.
The casualties have occurred in the administrative capital of Somaliland's Sool region, Las Anod, which has long been disputed between Somaliland and the semi-autonomous Somali state of Puntland.
The Spin
Narrative A
Violence and tensions in Somaliland stem from its territorial claims and alleged statehood. And while the narrative of an undisputed and homogeneous state territory doesn't match the facts, right-wing voices are growing louder in Washington, calling for Somaliland to be recognized as an independent state in a neocolonial maneuver and for geopolitical considerations. If the US should take this step and thus further undermine Somalia's already fragile statehood, it will lead to an incalculable erosion of security.
Narrative B
The most prudent way to address the territorial dispute between Somaliland and Puntland is to recognize autonomous Somaliland as an independent state. Somalia has explicitly asked the US for recognition, and Washington shouldn't just agree to this for its own strategic benefit but also to impose the resolution of the land conflict with Puntland as a precondition for recognition. Denying Somaliland, which meets international criteria for statehood, the right to self-determination is a recipe for continued violence.