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Somaliland declared independence from Somalia on May 18, 1991. It had been part of Somalia for 31 years and after decades of suffering and massacre at the hands of the central government of Somalia, says the foreign minister, they decided they had enough and embarked on a struggle for independence.
The Republic of Somaliland is not formally recognized by the United Nations or any country in the world, though they maintain good relations with a number of countries, especially neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and the United Arab Emirates.
Unlike Somalia, Somaliland is peaceful and stable and a functioning government is in charge. The country has an elected parliament and president.
The economy of this Muslim country's economy largely relies on its millions of livestock, but they are vulnerable to drought. In the past year alone millions of sheep and goat have died from the drought and their owners forced to move from the countryside to the bigger cities.
Some foreign aid agencies have stepped in to help, but the Somaliland government wants to help the country and for that it needs international recognition which will enable them to sign trade deals, borrow money and engage in diplomacy on a global scale.
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