Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Somaliland: The Struggle for Recognition

The document analyzes the distinct paths toward statehood for Somaliland and the SADR, contrasting Somaliland's case of secession from Somalia with the SADR's struggle for self-determination against Moroccan occupation. It examines how the African Union's adherence to inviolable colonial borders, despite precedents like Eritrea and South Sudan, complicates these efforts. The authors argue that both territories seek to reclaim colonial-era boundaries rather than alter them, yet they face significant economic and political hurdles due to a lack of formal recognition.

• The African Union (AU) generally maintains a strict policy against altering colonially inherited borders to avoid 'internecine conflict', although it has granted membership to Eritrea (1991) and South Sudan (2011) after they successfully seceded.
• Somaliland's claim to independence is based on its status as a former British colony that briefly joined the Republic of Somalia in 1960, and its subsequent struggle against the oppressive Siad Barre regime, which committed a massacre of the Isaaq clan known as the 'Hargeisa Holocaust'.
• Despite lacking international recognition, Somaliland has established a functioning de facto government with credible elections and better political rights than Somalia, though its isolation prevents it from accessing World Bank or IMF funding, which is critical during its current severe drought.
• The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) is characterized as a case of self-determination rather than secession, as it seeks to end the occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco following the 1975 Madrid Accords, which the document asserts violated international law.
• The SADR has achieved a higher level of institutional recognition than Somaliland, having been granted full membership in the OAU (now AU) in 1985, despite ongoing opposition and territorial control by Morocco.
• Morocco is accused of overexploiting the natural resources of Western Sahara, including fish stocks, phosphate mineral rock, and sea-bed petroleum, for revenue production since the 1970s.

APA

BOSMAN, I., CONNOCK, K., & RUBIDGE, L. (2023). Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Somaliland: The Struggle for Recognition. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SAIIA_PI_148_SahrawiArabDemocraticRepublic.pdf

Chicago

BOSMAN, ISABEL, KENDRA CONNOCK, and LAURA RUBIDGE. Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Somaliland: The Struggle for Recognition. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2023. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SAIIA_PI_148_SahrawiArabDemocraticRepublic.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=BOSMAN |first1=ISABEL |last2=CONNOCK |first2=KENDRA |last3=RUBIDGE |first3=LAURA |title=Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Somaliland: The Struggle for Recognition |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=November 2023 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SAIIA_PI_148_SahrawiArabDemocraticRepublic.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bosman2023sahrawi, author = {BOSMAN, ISABEL and CONNOCK, KENDRA and RUBIDGE, LAURA}, title = {{Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Somaliland: The Struggle for Recognition}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SAIIA_PI_148_SahrawiArabDemocraticRepublic.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }