The political development of Somaliland and its conflict with Puntland

A research paper by Berouk Mesfin of the Institute for Security Studies examining the political stability, governance challenges, and territorial disputes involving Somaliland and Puntland.

• Since 1991, Somaliland has maintained a level of peace and stability distinct from the chaos in other parts of Somalia, establishing a moderately effective administration and security forces, though it continues to face significant socio-economic difficulties.
• Somaliland's stability, largely based on a consensus-driven approach, has been threatened by the delay of multi-party elections until September 2009. Additionally, its efforts to gain international recognition have been unsuccessful due to concerns that doing so could create instability across Africa.
• Somaliland is involved in a persistent and unresolved territorial conflict with Puntland, as both entities claim sovereignty over the Sool and Sanaag regions.

APA

Mesfin, B. (n.d.). The political development of Somaliland and its conflict with Puntland. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/the-political-development-of-somaliland-and-its-conflict-with-puntland

Chicago

Mesfin, Berouk. The political development of Somaliland and its conflict with Puntland. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/the-political-development-of-somaliland-and-its-conflict-with-puntland.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mesfin |first1=Berouk |title=The political development of Somaliland and its conflict with Puntland |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/papers/the-political-development-of-somaliland-and-its-conflict-with-puntland |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mesfinndpolitical, author = {Mesfin, Berouk}, title = {{The political development of Somaliland and its conflict with Puntland}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/papers/the-political-development-of-somaliland-and-its-conflict-with-puntland}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }