WASHINGTON (QJ) — U.S. Senator Ted Cruz is pressuring the State Department to formally recognize Somaliland’s independence. In a post on X, the Texas Republican warned that the Senate confirmation of the nominee for U.S. ambassador to Somalia depends on progress toward that goal.
According to Cruz’s post on X, the Senator stated that President Donald Trump has already made it clear that Somaliland is a separate country from Somalia. Cruz wrote that the State Department must align with the President’s guidance, up to and including formal diplomatic recognition.
The statement follows a recent Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing for Devin Kennington, the nominee to serve as ambassador to Somalia. During the hearing, Cruz pressed Kennington on the administration’s stance. While Kennington acknowledged distinct conditions on the ground in Somaliland and pledged greater engagement, he stopped short of calling it an independent nation.
In his social media update, Cruz shared a supporting editorial from The New York Sun and explicitly tied Kennington’s confirmation to movement on Somaliland. Cruz’s push builds on remarks President Trump made at an October 12 rally in Ohio, where Trump characterized Somaliland as separate from Somalia without announcing an official policy shift.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and maintains its own government, currency, and security forces, though it currently lacks broad international recognition. Supporters of recognition, including Cruz, point to Somaliland’s democratic governance, strategic location along the Gulf of Aden, and diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Foreign policy analysts note that formal U.S. recognition would mark a major shift in Horn of Africa policy and could impact ongoing counter-terrorism cooperation with the federal government in Mogadishu.
