THE REPUBLICAN. ISSUE# 159 (Saturday, 5/5/2001)

Why Somaliland’s International Border with Puntland is Sacrosanct

John Drysdale, who has written extensively on Somali international boundary disputes since his standard work on the subject in 1964 (John Drysdale, The Somali Dispute, Praeger, New York, 1964), was asked by The Republican his opinion on Somaliland’s border with Puntland in its historical perspective. This was his reply:

“Somaliland’s border with Puntland dates back to the Anglo-Italian Protocol of 1894, part of which describes that section of the border with present-day Puntland as running from the intersection of 8^o latitude and 48^o longitude, following north-east to the intersection of 9^o latitude and 49^o longitude, then following that meridian northwards to the Gulf of Aden.

“This boundary, likewise Somaliland’s boundaries with Ethiopia and Djibouti, constituted the territorial boundaries of the State of Somaliland on June 26, 1960, when the former British Somaliland Protectorate won its independence from Britain. The State of Somaliland was internationally recognised by 35 states including Egypt, Ghana, and Libya.

Somalia’s Border with Ethiopia is not Recognised Internationally

“The Organisation of African Unity has declared as inviolable all colonial borders on independence. The exception being Somalia’s current international border with Ethiopia which has been a ‘provisional administrative line’ since it was drawn on a map by the British Military Administration in 1950. This ‘line’ is not internationally recognised. Thus Somalia has no internationally recognised border with Ethiopia.

“Somaliland, having restored its 1960 sovereignty on May 18, 1991, in accordance with international law and in accordance with the OAU doctrine on the inviolability of ex-colonial boundaries, also restored its former border with its territorial neighbour now known as Puntland. Somaliland’s border with Puntland is thus immutable”.

http://somalilandforum.com/news/the_republican/Republican-Issue-159.htm