If it makes oil deals like a country, or jails journalists like a country, is it a country?
A pair of stories about Somalia’s semi-autonomous regions — Puntland and Somaliland — make it fairly clear that companies and NGOs are treating these entities as if they are countries, even if governments aren’t. First comes news that a Canadian oil firm has begun drilling in Puntland. While regional officials suggest the revenues from the ...
A pair of stories about Somalia's semi-autonomous regions -- Puntland and Somaliland -- make it fairly clear that companies and NGOs are treating these entities as if they are countries, even if governments aren't. First comes news that a Canadian oil firm has begun drilling in Puntland. While regional officials suggest the revenues from the oil could benefit all of Somalia, the firm -- Africa Oil -- carried out its negotiations with Puntland's government, rather than Somalia's traditional government.
A pair of stories about Somalia’s semi-autonomous regions — Puntland and Somaliland — make it fairly clear that companies and NGOs are treating these entities as if they are countries, even if governments aren’t. First comes news that a Canadian oil firm has begun drilling in Puntland. While regional officials suggest the revenues from the oil could benefit all of Somalia, the firm — Africa Oil — carried out its negotiations with Puntland’s government, rather than Somalia’s traditional government.
The Committee to Protect Journalists is also criticizing the region of Somaliland this week for its crackdown on journalists:
On Saturday, armed police raided Horn Cable TV headquarters after President Ahmed Mahmoud Silyano accused the broadcaster of spreading propaganda against his administration, according to news reports. Officers told the entire staff to leave and sealed the premises without a warrant, local journalists said. Horn Cable had recently reported on a meeting in the disputed Sool region in which the Dhulbante clan announced its intention to form an autonomous state under Somalia–and not Somaliland–according to local journalists.
CPJ is naturally directing its criticism at the Somaliland government, the de facto power and the one carrying out the repression, rather than assuming that the beleaguered Somali government will address the situation.
The point here is that while these territories don’t appear on any world map and are not recognized as countries, non-state actors are increasingly treating them as if they are.
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
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