Somali Foreign Policy Context

Somalia’s long struggles for liberation from colonialism, military dictatorship and civil conflict have shaped its Foreign Policy. The founders of the Republic highlighted the long-lasting link between national independence and humanity’s larger freedom, equity and the indisputable right to a shared heritage.

Somalia assumed its place as a sovereign state and actor in international relations on gaining independence in July 1960. Somalia’s Foreign Policy is guided by a strong belief that its own future is inseparable from the stability and security of its environment. Unfortunately, this stability and security have been undermined by a coup d’état in 1969, by an undemocratic regime that lasted 21 years and then by more than two decades of civil war and terrorism.

Today the nation is moving to a pluralistic and democratic system. To strategically place the country in the international arena, the framers of Somalia’s Foreign Policy have charted a pragmatic approach informed by principles that have stood the test of time. This approach is aimed at ensuring that Somalia can forge mutually beneficial partnerships