The autonomous territory of Somaliland sits in one of Earth’s most strategically important areas. Yet the influence Beijing has built, particularly in Djibouti, threatens the U.S.’s ability to defend its interests there. Recognizing Somaliland would let the U.S. build a partnership with the territory that would give Washington a hedge against further deterioration of its position in Djibouti.| The Heritage Foundation
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez recently wrote to Moroccan King Mohammed VI that Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Western Sahara is the only “serious, realistic, and credible” solution to the conflict there. Sanchez’s letter marked a surprising reversal in Spanish policy that has roiled diplomatic relations in the region.| The Heritage Foundation
This Saturday, for the 20th year, the United States and other nations will observe the anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. These annual commemorations have always been momentous and solemn occasions, and as always, the attention of the American people should be on the men, women, and children who needlessly died that day. It is right and proper that our focus should be on the tragic loss of those lives.| The Heritage Foundation
A week of widespread rioting and looting in South Africa has ended. The turmoil’s cost is still being determined, but at least 276 people died, some of them trampled to death in stampedes, and the economic damage will run to billions of dollars. The country’s health infrastructure, already tottering under the weight of the Covid-19 pandemic, was virtually shattered in some areas by looting and arson.| The Heritage Foundation
The government of Mali and a Russian mercenary organization were negotiating a deal in which 1,000 mercenaries would deploy to Mali to train its security forces and protect senior political leaders for a monthly fee of $10.8 million, according to reports.| The Heritage Foundation
Salon.com ran a piece recently warning that the American right is “waging a stealth, neocolonial assault on Somalia.” The supposed “assault” is a growing campaign within the U.S. and elsewhere to recognize Somaliland’s independence from Somalia. The author, Mohamoud Gaildon, included as evidence a report that I wrote back in October.| The Heritage Foundation
The Sahel region of Africa stretches east from Senegal’s Atlantic coast into Sudan, covering a vast space in which the Sahara Desert peters out southward into savannah. It is predominately Muslim, and specifically Sufi, a type of syncretic Islamic practice that emphasizes the mystical experience of God.| The Heritage Foundation
U.S. policy in East Africa rests, in part, on a myth. Washington treats Somaliland, a region in northern Somalia, as if it were a part of the rest of the country, yet the territory has been functionally independent for 30 years. By ignoring this reality, the U.S. undercuts its own effectiveness in an important part of the world.| The Heritage Foundation