i crossed overland from ethiopia, which was painless with my somaliland visa i had procured earlier in addis ababa. i waited for a little while at the bustling border area for my cousin, who lives in somaliland with his family, to come pick me up, along with his government-mandated armed guard.
somaliland is a de-facto independent state in the northwest of what the rest of the world considers somalia. it is a very stable, functioning, democratic entity that, in contrast to somalia proper, is very safe to visit! it was originally colonized by the british, while the rest of somalia was claimed by italy prior to independence. my cousin lives in a town called boramo, and we drove there through endless desert in his landcruiser. there are a few expatriates in boramo, and all live in walled compounds, which is the norm there. in addition to catching up with family, we explored some markets, and i went on a run through the dusty town. there is a university in the town, and a new nascent family medicine residency, which is great! i got to see the hospital, meet some of the residents, and even join them for rounds.
the last day we drove to the bustling capital hargeisa to fly out.
obviously somalia has a less than stellar reputation, and that is unfair to the vast majority of its people want nothing to do with al shabaab or pirating. the vast majority of people in somalia are basically just like the rest of us – trying to provide a better life for their families. the perception that all of somalia is lawless is especially damaging to somaliland, which is very safe – if the international community recognized somaliland, this would really help, as it is difficult for them to obtain foreign direct investment and the like while still technically being part of somalia. anyway, if you ever have the opportunity to visit somaliland don’t hold back, as it is a great place!
