Abstract
In contemporary politics becoming a state has instituted a complex process. The question is, what makes a state? A state remains largely controversial in international law, and also in the realm of international relations. For decades there has been an ongoing debate between the declaratory and the constitutive schools of thought over the concept of statehood. According to international law, the Montevideo Criteria should define what characteristics an aspiring state must possess; however, there are some entities which have proven to fulfil all the features enriched in the convention, but the international community has denied them recognition, particularly if it is a secessionist state. This study defines such entities as de facto states. The thesis argues that the concept of statehood is characterised by many ambiguities because the traditional framework for statehood fails to explain the existence of the particular entities in the international system. Since de facto states exist outside of this framework, they present a threat to the universal concept of statehood. In expansion, de facto states exist in an unrecognised limbo, as the study of the political entities and their engagement with the world is significant for the systematic understanding of international relations. This study deals with the diplomatic relations that are conducted by Somaliland and Western Sahara as de facto states on the African continent and examines different dimensions that are related to the study. It first discusses the concepts of de facto state and its characteristics and later visits the theories of recognition in international law. Then, it traces the historical and political background of both case studies from the precolonial times to the present in order to understand how they emerged. The study further investigates the official and unofficial relations of both states through analysing secondary sources such as books, journal articles and government documents. With all the information, the study concludes that Western Sahara and Somaliland have established relations with a few states and also have some degree of cooperation with the United Nations and African Union on areas of aid and security.
Keywords: De facto states, international recognition, Somaliland, Western Sahara, Montevideo Criteria.