The U.S. State Department has reaffirmed its “One Somalia” policy in a new report to Congress, deal a diplomatic blow to the breakaway region of Somaliland’s long-standing campaign for sovereign international recognition.
The congressional report, submitted by the administration of President Donald Trump under a legislative mandate from the fiscal year 2026 national security spending bill, stated that Washington legally recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia within its established international borders. While the document acknowledged Somaliland’s strategic location along the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait as valuable for maritime defense, it explicitly classified the self-declared republic as an integral region of Somalia.
The policy document frustrates U.S. congressional advocates and international lobbyists who had pushed the White House to formally adjust its stance toward the de facto independent territory. Somaliland has operated autonomously from Mogadishu since 1991, maintaining its own military, currency, and democratic electoral systems. However, the State Department report indicated that any shift toward formal recognition would complicate bilateral ties with the federal government of Somalia.
The definitive U.S. position arrives during a period of deep domestic volatility for Somalia’s federal authorities. In Mogadishu, political gridlock has worsened following the May 15 expiration of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s official four-year term. Executive and parliamentary tenures were adjusted through contested legislative amendments, extending Mohamud’s stay in office until May 2027 to transition toward universal suffrage voting.
The mandate extension has triggered resistance from opposition factions and semi-autonomous regional states. The federal administrations of Puntland and Jubaland have withdrawn recognition of the central government, arguing the extension is unconstitutional. Armed opposition units have taken up strategic positions near the presidential palace, Villa Somalia, raising concerns of urban conflict. Political opposition figures have called for nationwide anti-government demonstrations on June 4 to demand an agreed electoral roadmap.
U.S. and British diplomats previously attempted to mediate transition talks in Mogadishu, but those negotiations collapsed concurrently with the term expiration deadline. International partners have warned that a prolonged constitutional crisis will undermine ongoing military operations against the al-Shabaab insurgent network.
