Inside Somaliland, the state eager to become the world’s next country

By Liam Taylor

National day in Somaliland means joy, pomp and machines of war. On May 18th the president and assembled dignitaries watched, from the grandstand, the annual parade in the capital, Hargeisa, as police held back jubilant crowds. Acrobats, fire-eaters, cyclists and footballers flowed past, while a bemused lion paced in its cage, the red, white and green national flag draped over its back. Then came the coastguard and soldiers, fire engines and police cars, and finally armoured trucks, each one mounted with more terrifying weapons than the last. All in all, an impressive inventory of a state.