A new misinformation campaign is taking hold in Washington, carefully constructed and heavily funded. It claims the United States is preparing to recognize Northern Somalia, often referred to in lobbying circles as “Somaliland,” as an independent state.
This narrative is false. The United States has made no policy change. Its position remains unchanged: Somalia is one country, with full territorial integrity and sovereignty. Yet, despite this, a growing number of articles, think tank briefings, and media narratives are trying to shift that reality through distortion and deceit. The machinery behind this is not grassroots. It is foreign-funded.
At the center of this campaign is Taiwan. Isolated diplomatically and struggling to gain international recognition, Taiwan has turned to a lobbying offensive in Washington. The Taiwanese government is bankrolling lobbying firms and media consultants to promote the idea that its partnership with Northern Somalia is legitimate. These lobbyists are using their access in Washington to push a false narrative: that Northern Somalia is on the verge of international recognition, and that the United States is quietly behind it.
This is not true. It violates U.S. foreign policy. It undermines the Federal Government of Somalia, which the U.S. recognizes as the only legitimate government of the Somali state. But Taiwan’s interest is not Somalia. It is Taiwan. And they are using Somalia’s internal divisions as a tool to score diplomatic points against China.
Taiwan’s strategy is built around exploiting weak or transitional states. It uses economic aid, diplomatic visits, and targeted media campaigns to create the illusion of recognition and legitimacy. In Somalia’s case, it has found willing partners in the Northern Somalia political elite, who have their own motives for pursuing a separate state. But this alliance is not about democracy or human rights. It is about political theater and foreign policy gamesmanship.
The Federal Government of Somalia has not been idle. On July 31, 20125, it successfully supported the formation of a new federal member state in the northeast. This was a major achievement and proved the strength of the federal system. It also debunked one of the most persistent myths used by separatists: that the north is united under a single administration. It is not. There is a Northwest region, and there is a Northeast region. There is no such thing as a unified “Somaliland.”
This fact matters. It shows that the north is diverse, politically and socially. It proves that the separatist narrative is based on a fantasy. The formation of the Northeast State under the Federal Constitution makes it legally and politically impossible to claim that Northern Somalia is a single, independent political entity.
So why is this false narrative gaining ground in Washington? The answer lies in the power of lobbying. Taiwan is spending heavily. Their lobbyists are writing op-eds, influencing think tank reports, and pushing talking points into U.S. government briefings. They are promoting misleading maps, fake polling data, and distorted history. They are using media institutions, NGOs, and former diplomats to amplify their message.
This is not a grassroots diplomatic effort. It is disinformation warfare. And it is designed to confuse policymakers, divide Somalis, and create a wedge between Somalia and its international partners.
What is most concerning is the silence from many who should know better. Some Somali intellectuals and political figures remain passive. It’s not because they support separatism. It’s because they underestimate the power of modern propaganda. They are still operating in the logic of the 1990s, when politics was negotiated through face-to-face dialogue, not manipulated through data operations, media cycles, and coordinated lobbying.
They do not see that this campaign is part of a larger geopolitical game. One that involves embassies, international organizations, research institutes, and Western media. This is not about one actor. It is a multi-platform, multi-million-dollar operation that stretches from Taipei to K Street.
What’s at stake is not symbolic. Every distorted headline erodes Somalia’s position in the international system. Every misleading article gives fuel to those who want Somalia to fail. Every fake policy shift weakens the Federal Government’s hand and strengthens the hand of those who benefit from chaos and fragmentation.
Somalia must respond with clarity and strength. This is not the time for polite disagreement. It is the time for direct confrontation of falsehoods. The Federal Government must pressure its partners to adhere to their own policies. It must hold embassies accountable when they allow staff to promote off-book agendas. It must demand transparency from think tanks and media outlets who platform foreign-funded narratives without fact-checking.
More importantly, Somalis themselves must wake up to the reality of modern information warfare. It is not enough to dismiss it as foreign propaganda. It must be countered systematically. That means building media capacity, investing in strategic communications, and naming the lobbyists and firms responsible. It means making it clear to Washington that Somalia is not for sale.
Unity is not a slogan. It is a national security principle. The recognition of any breakaway region threatens the stability of the entire country and the region. It invites new separatist claims. It emboldens spoilers. It hands foreign governments the keys to Somali sovereignty.
Taiwan has the right to fight for its survival. But it does not have the right to wage that fight on the back of Somali unity. Lobbyists paid to distort reality in Washington must be exposed. Somalia has one government, one flag, one territory. No amount of lobbying can change that truth.
Ismail D. Osman: Former Deputy Director of NISA. Specializing in writings on BRICS, the Horn of Africa’s security, and geopolitical landscapes with an emphasis on governance and security. Contact: [email protected]. Twitter: @osmando