Independence Day (Somaliland)

Not to be confused with Independence Day (State of Somaliland), the 26 June holiday to mark the State of Somaliland's independence from British rule in 1960.
Independence Day
Somali women at independence day celebrations with the flag of Somaliland
Observed by Somaliland
Type National Day
Significance Mark the Republic of Somaliland's Restoration of sovereignty and end of the unity with Somali Democratic Republic in 1991.
Celebrations Flag hoisting, parades, award ceremonies, singing patriotic songs and the national anthem, speeches by the President and Vice President, entertainment and cultural programs.
Date 18 May
Next time 18 May 2024
Frequency annual

Independence Day in Somaliland is an annual celebration held on 18 May in Somaliland to mark the polity's declaration of independence from the Somali Democratic Republic, a unilateral proclamation which remains unrecognized the world over. Although internationally seen only as an autonomous area of Somalia, the territory's self-declared independence has endured, and the twentieth anniversary was celebrated in 2011 at the National Palace in Hargeisa, Somaliland's capital, with shops closing down for the day.

Gallery

  • Independence monument in Hargeisa, Somaliland
    Independence monument in Hargeisa, Somaliland