Somaliland Sovereignty Day

Somaliland Sovereignty Day is a public holiday in Somaliland only, observed on May 18 yearly. The holiday commemorates the anniversary when the former State of Somaliland unilaterally declared independence from Somalia on this day in 1991.

In the late 19th century, European colonists began the Scramble for Africa after the Berlin Conference in 1884, and the Somaliland territory became the British Somaliland Protectorate.

At the beginning of World War II, Italia occupied British Somaliland. However, the United Kingdom took it back in 1941. The United Kingdom controlled the territory until 1960 when it gained independence as the State of Somaliland on June 26, 1960.

Five days later, the State of Somaliland united the Trust Territory of Somalia and formed the Somali Republic on July 1, 1960. However, people from Somalia took control of state institutions, while most Somaliland residents did not vote in the Somali constitutional referendum. This created a climate of distrust, which further led to the revolution in the north.

On May 18, 1991, the State of Somaliland unilaterally declared independence from Somalia, although the territory is internationally considered part of Somalia.

The following is the list of Somaliland Sovereignty Day in Somaliland from 2022 to 2026.

Please check more public holidays in Somalia: