Over the course of a few days, several separate news stories emerged from opposite sides of the world that all connect to one place—Somalia. Israeli recognition of Somaliland as an independent state from Somalia, explosive investigative reporting on the depths of Somali fraud in Minnesota, and Somalia ascending to a lofty position in the United Nations have put this failed African nation under the microscope.
On Friday, Israel became the first nation to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent sovereign state. For Somaliland, the self-governing breakaway region in northern Somalia that declared independence in 1991, the move was a long-sought diplomatic breakthrough. Hargeisa erupted in celebration, with residents waving Israeli and Somaliland flags. For Somalia’s federal government in Mogadishu, however, the recognition was an unacceptable affront to its territorial integrity. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called it a threat to regional stability, while the African Union, the League of Arab States, and a coalition of twenty-one nations condemned the decision outright. The UN Security Council scheduled an emergency session.
Upon investigation into the history between Somalia and Somaliland, it is as close to an analogous inverse to Israel and Palestine as is possible in global affairs. Somalia is what Palestine would have become had it been a state—poor, dependent on global largesse, overrun by terrorist organizations, with no economy to speak of. Somaliland, with its strong democratic government and economy but lack of international recognition, is what Israel would have been had it not been strong enough to defend itself for the past eight decades.
Somalia and Somaliland, though sharing ethnic and cultural roots, represent stark opposites in governance and stability. Somalia, the internationally recognized state, is widely regarded as a failed state, plagued by decades of civil war, clan-based conflict, rampant corruption, and the persistent threat of al-Shabaab terrorism. Its central government in Mogadishu struggles to exert control beyond the capital, relying heavily on foreign aid and African Union peacekeeping forces to survive. In contrast, Somaliland, which declared independence in 1991, functions as a successful Western-style democracy with regular free and fair elections, a functioning parliament, an independent judiciary, and a stable currency. It maintains its own military, police force, and borders, and has achieved relative peace and economic progress without any international recognition, standing as a rare African example of self-reliant democratic governance emerging from the ashes of conflict.
Somaliland’s push for independence stems from the brutal 1980s, when Siad Barre’s regime targeted northern clans—especially the Isaaq—with aerial bombings, ground assaults, and mass killings. Historians estimate that fifty thousand to two hundred thousand civilians died in what is widely referred to as the Isaaq genocide. When Barre’s government collapsed in 1991, Somaliland restored the borders of the former British protectorate and has since built a stable, democratic system in stark contrast to the ongoing conflict and al-Shabaab insurgency in southern Somalia.
One character in the genocide has had some true repercussions in the United States today. Nur Omar Mohamed served as a colonel in the Somali National Army during the 1980s under Siad Barre. His military career overlapped with the regime’s violent campaigns in the north, including operations against the Somali National Movement and other rebel groups. The family fled Somalia in the early 1990s as civil war engulfed the country, eventually resettling in the United States. His daughter is Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar—the foremost terror apologist in Congress.
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali-American population in the United States, with over eighty thousand residents. There, a different scandal has dominated headlines. Independent journalist Nick Shirley released a forty-two-minute video exposing alleged widespread fraud in Somali-run daycare centers. The video, which has garnered over one hundred ten million views on X, shows facilities that appear empty or barely operational yet reportedly receive millions in state Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) funds. Shirley documented inflated enrollment numbers, “ghost” centers, and questionable grant allocations.
The exposé has reignited scrutiny of the 2022 “Feeding Our Future” scandal, in which more than $250 million in federal child nutrition funds were allegedly defrauded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over seventy-eight individuals, many Somali-American, have faced charges. FBI Director Kash Patel called the daycare fraud “the tip of the iceberg,” vowing additional resources and warning of possible denaturalization and deportation for those involved. Vice President JD Vance praised Shirley’s reporting, while Minnesota Governor Tim Walz defended his administration’s efforts to combat fraud.
Rep. Omar, whose district includes Minneapolis, has not addressed either the Somaliland recognition or the daycare fraud allegations directly. Omar was seen promoting a restaurant that is involved in the fraud scandal, so she may be implicated. So too may Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Governor Tim Walz. Reports claim that one of the “ghost” daycare centers had a phone number that went directly to the governor’s office. James Comer of the House Oversight Committee said they are looking into Walz.
Somalia is a failed state whose chief export seems to be pirates and fraudsters, yet it is set to assume one of the most lofty positions in the world. Starting in January, Somalia will assume the presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month. This is a rotating presidency, given to each member of the Security Council; Somalia became a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the 2025–2026 term. For one month, a nation that cannot keep the al-Shabaab terrorist organization from overrunning its government will be chairing meetings, setting the agenda, presiding over sessions, and guiding discussions on global peace and security issues.
Somalia is the perfect encapsulation of the ridiculousness of international politics. By all rights, every country would be recognizing Somaliland’s independence and rejecting Somalia. The full force of the Minnesota state government and the U.S. federal government would be cracking down on the massive fraud scandal brewing. The media would be talking about this nonstop. But since the perpetrators are the right color, the right religion, vote the right way, and hate the right people, their crimes are being swept under the rug.
Moshe Hill is a political analyst and columnist. His work can be found at www.aHillwithaView.com and on X at @HillWithView.