Talk:Somaliland
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 | Warning: active arbitration remedies The contentious topics procedure applies to this article. This article relates to the Horn of Africa (defined as including Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and adjoining areas if involved in related disputes).The following restrictions apply to everyone editing this article:
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Edit request: Adjusting terminology to match other Wiki pages
From Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland,[b] is a partially recognised country in the Horn of Africa
To Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland,[b] is a partially recognised state in the Horn of Africa
This would be inline with other States in a similar position to Somaliland such as South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Northern Cyprus.
Please refer to this discussion for more info Hurbad (talk) 23:47, 9 January 2026 (UTC)
- I'm not against it and please feel free to make the change.
- Having said that, the consistency argument is not the strongest one as the wording in these articles may change and has changed a lot over the years. If you want this change to stick you should add it with RS that refer to Somaliland this way. Alaexis¿question? 14:09, 10 January 2026 (UTC)
- I don't think I have the ability to edit. Could you please change it? I don't think a source is needed in this case as the wording is very similar but inconsistent. Hurbad (talk) 01:56, 11 January 2026 (UTC)
- Should I submit a different edit request, I think this is still classed as a discussion haha Hurbad (talk) 22:18, 11 January 2026 (UTC)
- done Laura240406 (talk) 15:11, 17 January 2026 (UTC)
- I don’t especially feel like putting another coin in the jukebox, but why "state" rather than "country"? And by the way, Taiwan is described as a country. Michael Boutboul (talk) 18:21, 17 January 2026 (UTC)
- afaik, "country" is mainly used when you describe a sovereign nation while a "state" is just a legal entity that can be a break-away region like it is in this case Laura240406 (talk) 18:43, 17 January 2026 (UTC)
- I got it, but where does that come from? It is not very important, but I am curious to know who/what has stated such thing. Michael Boutboul (talk) 23:09, 17 January 2026 (UTC)
- Somaliland is not a breakaway region because the union was never ratified. Please use these terms very carefully and make the right decision here. We are a country, plain and simple. Thank you! ~2026-87801-5 (talk) 16:32, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
- I got it, but where does that come from? It is not very important, but I am curious to know who/what has stated such thing. Michael Boutboul (talk) 23:09, 17 January 2026 (UTC)
- Both of these mostly overlapping terms are used by different people in different ways, so there isn't going to be one answer to your question. Taiwan can be described as a country or a state, or a number of other nouns as a speaker prefers. CMD (talk) 02:32, 18 January 2026 (UTC)
- Yes, I agree. So why are they insisting on changing it from “country” to “state”? Michael Boutboul (talk) 08:05, 18 January 2026 (UTC)
- If Taiwan is described as a country, why not Somaliland too. My people won’t take it personal but we would really appreciate if you use country instead of state because state indicates we are sub entity of a nation rather than a stand alone country ~2026-87801-5 (talk) 16:30, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
- afaik, "country" is mainly used when you describe a sovereign nation while a "state" is just a legal entity that can be a break-away region like it is in this case Laura240406 (talk) 18:43, 17 January 2026 (UTC)
- I've just realized that State of Somaliland (the old one) is called a country. Laura240406 (talk) 16:43, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 8 February 2026
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Hello, I am writing to request a Wikipedia article of Somaliland to say “country “ instead of state. This was the case during the first few weeks of January but unfortunately not anymore. Please consider my request and let me know what conclusion you reach and why? ~2026-87801-5 (talk) 16:18, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
Use of “Country” vs. “State” in the Somaliland Lead
I respectfully object to this editorial change. I do not see a compelling reason to replace the wording “Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland,[b] is a partially recognised country in the Horn of Africa” with “Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland,[b] is a partially recognised state in the Horn of Africa.”
Somaliland functions as a country in every substantive sense of the term, possessing a defined territory, a permanent population, an effective government, and the capacity to engage in external relations. While it remains partially recognised internationally, this does not negate its status as a country.
Moreover, the term state is potentially ambiguous and may be misinterpreted by readers as referring to a sub-national entity (for example, a state within the United States), rather than a sovereign political entity. Retaining the term country provides greater clarity and avoids unnecessary confusion.
For these reasons, I respectfully request that the original wording be restored to: “Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland,[b] is a partially recognised country in the Horn of Africa.”
Thank you for your consideration. ~2026-87801-5 (talk) 16:34, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
Not done: This proposed change will require a consensus in its favor before it can be implemented. See the previous talk page discussions concerning use of "country" versus "state". Day Creature (talk) 04:53, 9 February 2026 (UTC)
Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 13 February 2026
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Please update the status of the eastern regions (Sool, Sanaag, Cayn) to reflect that the administration there (referred to as SSC-Khatumo or Northeastern State) works with the Federal Government of Somalia and is not under Somaliland control. Asheikhlibaax (talk) 04:15, 13 February 2026 (UTC)
- Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want made. tony 04:16, 13 February 2026 (UTC)