![Somaliland's independence, recognition, and democracy hang in the balance amid renewed violence.](https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/somaliland-democracy-somalia-recognition-independence-military-03272023-1.jpg?w=519&h=259&crop=1)
Over the course of the past decade, Somaliland’s fortunes have drastically and irrevocably changed, raising hopes that engagement with foreign powers will translate into formal recognition. Unfortunately, recent violence between security forces and a local clan in the southeast show that things are never so straightforward.