Taiwan is set to send a team of medical experts to Somaliland under a new medical cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening healthcare services and training medical professionals in the Horn of Africa country.

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and Somaliland’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Liban Yousuf Osman signed the Taiwan-Somaliland Medical Cooperation Agreement on June 16, marking another step in the growing partnership between the two sides.

Under the agreement, Taiwanese medical specialists will be based at a hospital in Hargeisa, where they will provide training and technical support to local healthcare workers, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the signing ceremony, Wu described healthcare as a key area of cooperation between Taiwan and Somaliland. He also highlighted a Taiwanese initiative launched the previous year to help reduce Somaliland’s high maternal and neonatal mortality rates.

Following the signing, Osman described the agreement as a significant milestone in the friendship and strategic partnership between Somaliland and Taiwan.

Taiwanese officials said no specific timeline had initially been established for the medical mission. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was undertaking the necessary procedures under Taiwan’s Conclusion of Treaties Act, with implementation details expected to be finalized with Somaliland authorities following Cabinet approval.

The medical agreement followed the establishment of formal representative offices by Taiwan and Somaliland in 2020, deepening ties between two governments that maintain extensive self-governing institutions but face challenges in securing broad international diplomatic recognition.

Somaliland has governed itself since declaring its restoration of independence from Somalia in 1991. It operates its own government institutions, security forces and currency, while Taiwan maintains its own democratic government and international partnerships despite its distinct diplomatic circumstances.

The healthcare initiative is part of broader cooperation between Taiwan and Somaliland in areas including public health, agriculture, education, technology and economic development.