A story in Al Jazeera, Voting wraps up in Somaliland, caught my eye. I know far less than I should about African affairs, but Somaliland was familiar as a name because of the days as a kid when I collected stamps and used to devour the various Stanley Gibbons' catalogues. Looking back, this gave me me a remarkably good knowledge of changing political geography!
Somaliland was familiar, but I looked it up to be sure. Yes, Somaliland used to be British Somaliland. More precisely, Somaliland claims, but does not control, the full territory that used to belong to British Somaliland.
British Somaliland was briefly independent in 1960 before becoming part of Somalia. In 1991, Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia. While still formally unrecognised, it has a functioning government and has slowly gained a measure of international recognition.
The presidential elections were held on 26 June, the date on which Somaliland independence was proclaimed. You will find the Government web site here.
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