The Republic of Somaliland has sent a letter to President Donald Trump’s administration requesting an exemption for the republic’s residents from the executive order restricting entry into the US to all individuals from Somalia – one of the seven Muslim countries named in the order.
Somaliland’s Foreign Minister Saad Ali Shire sent a letter on 14 February to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and US Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly to request an exemption for Somaliland residents from the blanket ban.
Refugees intent on starting a new life under a resettlement programme were prevented from doing so 27 January when Trump ordered refugees and people from seven Muslim-majority countries, to be temporarily denied US refugee status or visas for 120 days.
Unlike the nations affected by the executive order, Shire said Somaliland does not suffer from what the order describes as “deteriorating conditions [that] due to war, strife, disaster, and civil unrest increase the likelihood that terrorists will use any means possible to enter the US.”
To make his point, Shire said Somaliland has focused on building strong state institutions, maintaining peace within its borders and creating a sustainable economy, unlike Somalia, which he said struggled with the collapse of its governing institutions.