Somaliland Hires Freelance Diplomats

by DAVID AXE

Somaliland, population 1 million, is a fully autonomous — but unrecognized, internationally — region of the Republic of Somalia, with its own laws, courts, currency and army. It’s also one of the handful of “unofficial” countries in the world that has few full-time diplomats, and so hires freelancers to sit at the world’s negotiating tables. The Associated Press has a piece on Independent Diplomat, a Belgium-based nonprofit organization that offers diplomatic services on a “pay-what-you-can” basis.

Director Nicholas Whyte seems quite passionate about Somaliland deserving international recognition. “International policy has been predicated on shoring up Somalia’s weak and embattled central government rather than supporting the one part of the country that has demonstrated its ability to avoid conflict,” Whyte said.

(Photo: Somaliland Times)