UAE,1 October 2025 – Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro has revealed that he officially sent letters to various international leaders, including Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, in May this year, requesting recognition of Somaliland as an independent state.
Speaking at The Africa Debate conference in Dubai, Tuesday, Irro said Somaliland’s recognition efforts have been ongoing for decades but have yet to receive a formal response from the leaders to whom the requests were addressed, calling the silence “unfair.”
“On 18 May 2025, I personally sent letters to world leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Hassan Sheikh himself, the President of Djibouti, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, the President of France, and others. To date, we have not received any reply, and I see this as unjust,” Irro stated.
Irro said Somaliland still holds strong hopes that its cause will eventually be considered, pointing to the support of senior U.S. officials and U.K. parliamentarians who are pushing the recognition agenda. He expressed his gratitude to those advocating for Somaliland’s case.
“I hope that eventually Somaliland will, in the near future, become one of the internationally recognized countries,” he added.
Irro’s remarks came in response to a question about Somaliland’s decades-long struggle for international recognition — a campaign that has lasted for more than 30 years, since the region re-declared independence in 1991.
The Somaliland President emphasized that Somalialnd is peaceful, democratic, and regularly holds free and fair elections, while also maintaining an open investment policy that welcomes foreign investors. He argued that these conditions make Somaliland’s recognition bid worthy of serious consideration.