By Abdi Sheikh, Sonia Rao (Reuters) -Voters in Somaliland flocked to the polls on Wednesday to choose a president at a time when the breakaway Somali region sees international recognition within reach after three decades of de facto self-rule.

Voting is underway in Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland in a key presidential election that was delayed for two years and comes as the Horn of Africa region is experiencing political tension.

Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, holds a presidential election on Wednesday at a time of diplomatic tensions in the Horn of Africa.

Somaliland, which occupies a strategic position near the entryway to the Red Sea, declared independence from the Mogadishu government in 1991 but has not been recognised by any other country, restricting access to international finance and the ability of its 6 million people to travel.