Somalia Independence Day

Somalia Independence Day

26 June is Independence Day in Somalia, while 1 July is Republic Day. This, combined with the existence of Somaliland Sovereignty Day on 18 May makes for a rather complex situation, but we hope to bring some clarity to that momentarily.

The region along the horn of Africa, inhabited by the Somali people for centuries, was a hub of trade and a wealthy, important region. Then, it was divided between British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland during the Scramble For Africa in the 19th Century. After World War II, however, the British half of Somalia became independent on 26 June, 1960. This is the date for the Independence Day of the whole country, oddly enough. Today, that same half of the country is semi-autonomous and vying for full independence from Somalia, and Somaliland Sovereignty Day commemorates the day in 1991 when they declared themselves independent.

But it gets even more complicated. Five days after British Somaliland became independent, it joined Italian Somaliland, which became independent that same day, to form modern Somalia. But even though Somalia was formed, or at least reunited, on 1 July, 1 July is called Republic Day rather than Independence Day.