II 

Calendar No. 405 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3861 

To require the Secretary of State to submit annual reports to Congress 

on the assistance provided to Somaliland and to conduct a feasibility 

study, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, on establishing 

a security partnership with Somaliland, without recognizing Somaliland 

as an independent state. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 17, 2022 

Mr. RISCH (for himself, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. ROUNDS, and Mr. WICKER) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

JUNE 14, 2022 

Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of State to submit annual reports 

to Congress on the assistance provided to Somaliland 

and to conduct a feasibility study, in coordination with 

the Secretary of Defense, on establishing a security partnership with Somaliland, without recognizing Somaliland 

as an independent state. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Somaliland Partner3 ship Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

5 It is the sense of Congress that— 

6 (1) a stronger relationship between the United 

7 States and Somaliland would provide numerous, mu8 tually beneficial, strategic opportunities due to 

9 Somaliland’s— 

10 (A) geographic location in the Horn of Af11 rica and next to the Gulf of Aden; 

12 (B) democratic credentials, including 

13 peaceful transfers of power following elections; 

14 and 

15 (C) relative stability in the Horn of Africa; 

16 (2) Somaliland’s security situation, level of de17 velopment, and other challenges differ significantly 

18 from the situation in Mogadishu and other regions 

19 of Somalia, which necessitates— 

20 (A) a different approach to engagement, 

21 assistance, and travel by personnel of the De22 partment of State and the United States Agen23 cy for International Development; and 

24 (B) the avoidance of a ‘‘one-size-fits-all’’ 

25 policy approach to Somalia; and 


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1 (3) the status of Somaliland should not serve as 

2 an obstacle for deeper and meaningful cooperation 

3 that will serve the mutual interests of our two gov4 ernments. 

5 SEC. 3. DEFINED TERM. 

6 In this Act, the term ‘‘Somaliland’’ means the terri7 tory that— 

8 (1) received its independence from the United 

9 Kingdom on June 26, 1960, before the creation of 

10 the Somali Republic; 

11 (2) has been a self-declared independent and 

12 sovereign state since 1991 that is not internationally 

13 recognized; and 

14 (3) exists as a semi-autonomous region of the 

15 Federal Republic of Somalia. 

16 SEC. 4. REPORT ON FOREIGN ASSISTANCE AND OTHER AC17 TIVITIES IN SOMALILAND. 

18 (a) DEFINED TERM.—In this section, the term ‘‘ap19 propriate congressional committees’’ means— 

20 (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

21 Senate; and 

22 (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

23 House of Representatives. 

24 (b) REPORT.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than September 

2 30, 2022, and annually thereafter until the date that 

3 is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this 

4 Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the 

5 Administrator of the United States Agency for 

6 International Development, shall submit a report to 

7 the appropriate congressional committees that, with 

8 respect to the most recently concluded 12-month pe9 riod— 

10 (A) describes United States foreign assist11 ance to Somaliland, including— 

12 (i) the value of such assistance (in 

13 United States dollars); 

14 (ii) the source from which such assist15 ance was funded; 

16 (iii) the names of the programs 

17 through which such assistance was admin18 istered; 

19 (iv) the implementing partners 

20 through which such assistance was pro21 vided; 

22 (v) the sponsoring bureau of the 

23 United States Government; and 


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1 (vi) if the assistance broadly targeted 

2 the Federal Republic of Somalia, the por3 tion of such assistance that was— 

4 (I) explicitly intended to support 

5 Somaliland; and 

6 (II) ultimately employed in 

7 Somaliland; 

8 (B) details the staffing and responsibilities 

9 of the Department of State and the United 

10 States Agency for International Development 

11 supporting foreign assistance, diplomatic rela12 tions, consular services, and security initiatives 

13 in Somaliland, including the location of such 

14 personnel (duty station) and their cor15 responding bureau; 

16 (C) provides— 

17 (i) a detailed account of travel to 

18 Somaliland by employees of the Depart19 ment of State and the United States Agen20 cy for International Development, if any, 

21 including the position, duty station, and 

22 trip purpose for each such trip; or 

23 (ii) the justification for not traveling 

24 to Somaliland if no such personnel traveled 

25 during the reporting period; 


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1 (D) describes consular services provided by 

2 the Department of State for the residents of 

3 Somaliland; 

4 (E) discusses the Department of State’s 

5 Travel Advisory for Somalia related to the re6 gion of Somaliland; and 

7 (F) if the Travel Advisory for all or part 

8 of Somaliland is identical to the Travel Advi9 sory for other regions of Somalia, justifies such 

10 ranking based on a security assessment of the 

11 region of Somaliland. 

12 (2) FORM.—The report required under para13 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, 

14 but may contain a classified annex. 

15 SEC. 5. FEASIBILITY STUDY ON IMPROVED DIPLOMATIC 

16 RELATIONS AND A SECURITY AND DEFENSE 

17 PARTNERSHIP WITH SOMALILAND. 

18 (a) DEFINED TERM.—In this section, the term ‘‘ap19 propriate congressional committees’’ means— 

20 (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

21 Senate; 

22 (2) the Committee on Armed Services of the 

23 Senate; 

24 (3) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

25 House of Representatives; and 


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1 (4) the Committee on Armed Services of the 

2 House of Representatives. 

3 (b) FEASIBILITY STUDY.—The Secretary of State, in 

4 coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall conduct 

5 a feasibility study regarding the establishment of a part6 nership between the United States and Somaliland that— 

7 (1) includes coordination with Somaliland gov8 ernment security organs, including Somaliland’s 

9 Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense; 

10 (2) determines opportunities for collaboration in 

11 the pursuit of United States national security inter12 ests in the Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Aden, and 

13 the broader Indo-Pacific region; 

14 (3) identifies opportunities for United States 

15 training of Somaliland security sector actors to im16 prove their professionalization and capacity; and 

17 (4) assesses the prospect of establishing a non18 profit corporation, to be known as the ‘‘American 

19 Institute of Somaliland’’, for the purpose of con20 ducting and carrying out programs, transactions, 

21 and other relations with Somaliland in the City of 

22 Hargeisa on behalf of the United States Govern23 ment. 

24 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 days 

25 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 


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1 of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense 

2 and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and 

3 agencies, shall submit a classified report to the appro4 priate congressional committees that contains the results 

5 of the feasibility study required under subsection (b), in6 cluding an assessment of the extent to which— 

7 (1) opportunities exist for the United States to 

8 support the training of Somaliland’s security sector 

9 actors with a specific focus on counterterrorism and 

10 border and maritime security; 

11 (2) Somaliland’s security forces were impli12 cated, if any, in gross violations of human rights 

13 during the 3-year period immediately preceding the 

14 date of the enactment of this Act; 

15 (3) the United States has provided or discussed 

16 with government and military officials of Somaliland 

17 the provision of training to security forces, includ18 ing— 

19 (A) where such training has occurred; 

20 (B) the extent to which Somaliland secu21 rity forces have demonstrated the ability to ab22 sorb previous training; and 

23 (C) the ability of Somaliland security 

24 forces to maintain and appropriately utilize 

25 such training, as applicable; 


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1 (4) a United States security and defense part2 nership with Somaliland would have a strategic im3 pact, including by protecting the United States and 

4 allied maritime interests in the Bab-el-Mandeb 

5 Strait and at Somaliland’s Port of Berbera; 

6 (5) Somaliland could— 

7 (A) serve as a maritime gateway in East 

8 Africa for the United States and its allies; and 

9 (B) counter Iran’s presence in the Gulf of 

10 Aden and China’s growing regional military 

11 presence; 

12 (6) a United States security and defense part13 nership would— 

14 (A) bolster security and defense coopera15 tion and capabilities between Somaliland and 

16 Taiwan; 

17 (B) stabilize this semi-autonomous region 

18 of Somalia further as a democratic counter19 weight to anti-democratic forces in the greater 

20 Horn of Africa region; and 

21 (C) impact the capacity of the United 

22 States to achieve policy objectives in Somalia, 

23 particularly to degrade and ultimately defeat 

24 the terrorist threat posed by Al-Shabaab, the 

25 Islamic State in Somalia (the Somalia-based IsVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:07 Jun 15, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S3861.RS S3861

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1 lamic State affiliate), and other terrorist groups 

2 operating in Somalia; 

3 (7) the extent to which an improved diplomatic 

4 relationship with Somaliland could— 

5 (A) support United States policy focused 

6 on the Red Sea corridor, the Indo-Pacific re7 gion, and the Horn of Africa; 

8 (B) improve cooperation on counterter9 rorism and intelligence sharing; 

10 (C) enable cooperation on counter-traf11 ficking, including the trafficking of humans, 

12 wildlife, weapons, and illicit goods; and 

13 (D) support trade and development, includ14 ing how Somaliland could benefit from Prosper 

15 Africa and other regional trade initiatives. 

16 (d) FORM.—The report required under subsection (c) 

17 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may contain 

18 a classified annex. 

19 SEC. 6. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

20 Nothing in this Act, including the reporting require21 ment under section 4 and the conduct of the feasibility 

22 study under section 5, may be construed to convey United 

23 States recognition of Somaliland as an independent state. 


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•S 3861 RS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Somaliland Partnership 

3 Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

5 It is the sense of Congress that— 

6 (1) a stronger relationship between the United 

7 States and Somaliland would provide numerous, mu8 tually beneficial, strategic opportunities due to 

9 Somaliland’s— 

10 (A) geographic location in the Horn of Afri11 ca and next to the Gulf of Aden; 

12 (B) democratic credentials, including peace13 ful transfers of power following elections; and 

14 (C) relative stability in the Horn of Africa; 

15 (2) Somaliland’s security situation, level of de16 velopment, and other challenges differ significantly 

17 from the situation in Mogadishu and other regions of 

18 Somalia, which necessitates— 

19 (A) a different approach to engagement, as20 sistance, and travel by personnel of the Depart21 ment of State and the United States Agency for 

22 International Development; and 

23 (B) the avoidance of a ‘‘one-size-fits-all’’ 

24 policy approach to Somalia; and 

25 (3) the status of Somaliland should not serve as 

26 an obstacle for deeper and meaningful cooperation 


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1 that will serve the mutual interests of our two govern2 ments. 

3 SEC. 3. DEFINED TERM. 

4 In this Act, the term ‘‘Somaliland’’ means the territory 

5 that— 

6 (1) received its independence from the United 

7 Kingdom on June 26, 1960, before the creation of the 

8 Somali Republic; 

9 (2) has been a self-declared independent and sov10 ereign state since 1991 that is not internationally rec11 ognized; and 

12 (3) exists as a semi-autonomous region of the 

13 Federal Republic of Somalia. 

14 SEC. 4. REPORT ON FOREIGN ASSISTANCE AND OTHER AC15 TIVITIES IN SOMALILAND. 

16 (a) DEFINED TERM.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro17 priate congressional committees’’ means— 

18 (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

19 Senate; and 

20 (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

21 House of Representatives. 

22 (b) REPORT.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than September 30, 

24 2022, and annually thereafter until the date that is 

25 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 


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1 Secretary of State, in consultation with the Adminis2 trator of the United States Agency for International 

3 Development, shall submit a report to the appropriate 

4 congressional committees that, with respect to the 

5 most recently concluded 12-month period— 

6 (A) describes United States foreign assist7 ance to Somaliland, including— 

8 (i) the value of such assistance (in 

9 United States dollars); 

10 (ii) the source from which such assist11 ance was funded; 

12 (iii) the names of the programs 

13 through which such assistance was adminis14 tered; 

15 (iv) the implementing partners through 

16 which such assistance was provided; 

17 (v) the sponsoring bureau of the United 

18 States Government; and 

19 (vi) if the assistance broadly targeted 

20 the Federal Republic of Somalia, the por21 tion of such assistance that was— 

22 (I) explicitly intended to support 

23 Somaliland; and 

24 (II) ultimately employed in 

25 Somaliland; 


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1 (B) details the staffing and responsibilities 

2 of the Department of State and the United States 

3 Agency for International Development sup4 porting foreign assistance, relations, consular 

5 services, and security initiatives in Somaliland, 

6 including the location of such personnel (duty 

7 station) and their corresponding bureau; 

8 (C) provides— 

9 (i) a detailed account of travel to 

10 Somaliland by employees of the Department 

11 of State and the United States Agency for 

12 International Development, if any, includ13 ing the position, duty station, and trip pur14 pose for each such trip; or 

15 (ii) the justification for not traveling 

16 to Somaliland if no such personnel traveled 

17 during the reporting period; 

18 (D) describes consular services provided by 

19 the Department of State for the residents of 

20 Somaliland; 

21 (E) discusses the Department of State’s 

22 Travel Advisory for Somalia related to the re23 gion of Somaliland; and 

24 (F) if the Travel Advisory for all or part of 

25 Somaliland is identical to the Travel Advisory 


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1 for other regions of Somalia, justifies such rank2 ing based on a security assessment of the region 

3 of Somaliland. 

4 (2) FORM.—The report required under para5 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but 

6 may contain a classified annex. 

7 SEC. 5. FEASIBILITY STUDY. 

8 (a) DEFINED TERM.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro9 priate congressional committees’’ means— 

10 (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

11 Senate; 

12 (2) the Committee on Armed Services of the Sen13 ate; 

14 (3) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

15 House of Representatives; and 

16 (4) the Committee on Armed Services of the 

17 House of Representatives. 

18 (b) FEASIBILITY STUDY.—The Secretary of State, in 

19 coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall conduct 

20 a feasibility study that— 

21 (1) includes coordination with Somaliland secu22 rity organs; 

23 (2) determines opportunities for collaboration in 

24 the pursuit of United States national security interVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:07 Jun 15, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S3861.RS S3861

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1 ests in the Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Aden, and the 

2 broader Indo-Pacific region; 

3 (3) identifies the practicability of improving the 

4 professionalization and capacity of Somaliland secu5 rity sector actors; and 

6 (4) identifies the most effective way to conduct 

7 and carry out programs, transactions, and other rela8 tions in the City of Hargeisa on behalf of the United 

9 States Government. 

10 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 days 

11 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

12 of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense and 

13 the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agen14 cies, shall submit a classified report to the appropriate con15 gressional committees that contains the results of the feasi16 bility study required under subsection (b), including an as17 sessment of the extent to which— 

18 (1) opportunities exist for the United States to 

19 support the training of Somaliland’s security sector 

20 actors with a specific focus on counterterrorism and 

21 border and maritime security; 

22 (2) Somaliland’s security forces were implicated, 

23 if any, in gross violations of human rights during the 

24 3-year period immediately preceding the date of the 

25 enactment of this Act; 


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1 (3) the United States has provided or discussed 

2 with officials of Somaliland the provision of training 

3 to security forces, including— 

4 (A) where such training has occurred; 

5 (B) the extent to which Somaliland security 

6 forces have demonstrated the ability to absorb 

7 previous training; and 

8 (C) the ability of Somaliland security forces 

9 to maintain and appropriately utilize such 

10 training, as applicable; 

11 (4) a United States diplomatic and security en12 gagement partnership with Somaliland would have a 

13 strategic impact, including by protecting the United 

14 States and allied maritime interests in the Bab-el15 Mandeb Strait and at Somaliland’s Port of Berbera; 

16 (5) Somaliland could— 

17 (A) serve as a maritime gateway in East 

18 Africa for the United States and its allies; and 

19 (B) counter Iran’s presence in the Gulf of 

20 Aden and China’s growing regional military 

21 presence; 

22 (6) a United States security and defense partner23 ship could— 

24 (A) bolster cooperation between Somaliland 

25 and Taiwan; 


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1 (B) stabilize this semi-autonomous region of 

2 Somalia further as a democratic counterweight 

3 to anti-democratic forces in the greater Horn of 

4 Africa region; and 

5 (C) impact the capacity of the United 

6 States to achieve policy objectives in Somalia, 

7 particularly to degrade and ultimately defeat the 

8 terrorist threat posed by Al-Shabaab, the Islamic 

9 State in Somalia (the Somalia-based Islamic 

10 State affiliate), and other terrorist groups oper11 ating in Somalia; 

12 (7) the extent to which an improved relationship 

13 with Somaliland could— 

14 (A) support United States policy focused on 

15 the Red Sea corridor, the Indo-Pacific region, 

16 and the Horn of Africa; 

17 (B) improve cooperation on counterter18 rorism and intelligence sharing; 

19 (C) enable cooperation on counter-traf20 ficking, including the trafficking of humans, 

21 wildlife, weapons, and illicit goods; and 

22 (D) support trade and development, includ23 ing how Somaliland could benefit from Prosper 

24 Africa and other regional trade initiatives. 


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1 (d) FORM.—The report required under subsection (c) 

2 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may contain 

3 a classified annex. 

4 SEC. 6. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

5 Nothing in this Act, including the reporting require6 ment under section 4 and the conduct of the feasibility 

7 study under section 5, may be construed to convey United 

8 States recognition of Somaliland as an independent state. 


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Calendar No. 405 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3861 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of State to submit annual 

an independent state. Somaliland, without recognizing Somaliland as establishing a security partnership with coordination with the Secretary of Defense, on Somaliland and to conduct a feasibility study, in reports to Congress on the assistance provided to 

JUNE 14, 2022 

Reported with an amendment 


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