mr president the horn of africa is pretty much an unmitigated disaster
the region has been devastated by decades of war famine environmental degradation corruption mismanagement and political repression
human rights are abused as a matter of course
civil society is weak
alarmingly the situation could easily deteriorate further
tensions between ethiopia and eritrea over disputed territory are still likely to flare up at any moment
the failed state of somalia remains infected by clan violence and islamist extremism which will worsen as ethiopia now withdraws its troops and with the resignation of the recent president
we have also debated the epidemic of piracy off the somali coast
there is of course always a temptation by the eu to suggest military action as a panacea to the chaos in the horn of africa
past experience suggests this would be a terrible mistake
president bill clinton sent us troops to tame somalia but that was a disaster too
the one oasis of optimism in my view is in the region of somaliland which was formerly a british protectorate
it was absorbed into the somali republic in nineteen sixty after foolishly voluntarily relinquishing its brief period of independence but split away again in the chaos following the death of siad barre in nineteen ninety-one
ever since then somaliland has been the only cohesive and functional polity in somalia
the people of somaliland benefit from a relatively benign government and progressive institutions
they also possess symbols of statehood such as a separate currency and a flag
speaking personally and not for my party or my political group perhaps it is time for the international community led by the african union to begin considering more seriously somaliland's quest for independence
an independent somaliland supported by the west could be a force for stability and progress in an otherwise hopeless and chaotic region
certainly the people of somaliland would be justified in asking why we here in the eu were so reluctant to recognise their de facto country but were so quick to recognise the independence of kosovo
