This was reiterated twice by the British government, in 1954 and 1956.
In 1949, the British government stated that while large colonies could be independent and have thriving economies and smaller colonies could form federations with larger colonies. The colony of British Somaliland 'must remain for the foreseeable future under British rule'.
In a peer-reviewed article by The English Historical Review:
By May of 1960, British Colonial Secretary, Ian Maclead officially stated that Britain was about to grant independence to Somaliland protectorate so that it can unite with Italian Somaliland (Somalia), which was scheduled to become a sovereign state on July 1, 1960. The secretary made his announcement while Somaliland leaders were in London for talks on a constitution.


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