“Somaliland declared independence on 26 June 1960 and received international recognition at that time.”

Media reportsNews reportApril 18, 2026

Background in coverage of Israel's December 2025 recognition of Somaliland.

Our verdict

Mostly True

British Somaliland became independent on 26 June 1960 and some states acknowledged it, but it merged with Somalia five days later; Somaliland says 35 countries recognised it.

What we found

British Somaliland gained independence from Britain on 26 June 1960 and joined Italian Somaliland to form the Somali Republic on 1 July. Somaliland's government says 35 countries recognised the State of Somaliland in those five days; we could not confirm the number independently. Today only Israel recognises Somaliland, since December 2025.

The evidence

1 of 2 sources support the claim; none contradict it.

Contradict 0Support 1Background 1

Supports the claim
Somaliland says it was recognised by 35 countries on independence in 1960. [1]
Background
As of 2026 Israel is the only UN member to recognise Somaliland. [2]

What we could not confirm

The number of countries that recognised Somaliland in 1960 comes from Somaliland's own records.

How we checked

We checked the claim against Haadka, Wikipedia. We reviewed 2 relevant sources.

Sources

[1]Haadka · Thirty-five reasons the United States should recognise Somaliland
[2]Wikipedia · International recognition of Somaliland

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