A Young Democracy

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 following a period of civil war and the collapse of Somalia’s government. Although the country remains internationally unrecognised, it has established a working democracy, government institutions, a police force and its own currency, becoming a beacon of peace in a volatile region. I was commissioned to cover the territory’s past two elections, during which the atmosphere of this conservative Muslim state - in which an estimated 70 percent of the population is aged under 30 - transformed into a cacophony of colour and noise. 

 Published by Al Jazeera