Israel becomes first country to recognise Somaliland as sovereign state | Somaliland
Israel became the first country to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state; This marked a turning point in its quest for international recognition since declaring independence from Somalia 34 years ago.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar announced Friday that Israel and Somaliland have signed an agreement establishing full diplomatic relations, which will include the opening of embassies and the appointment of ambassadors.
The recognition is a historic moment for Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has never been recognized by any UN member state. Somaliland controls the northwestern tip of Somalia, where it operates as a de facto state, and borders Djibouti to the northwest and Ethiopia to the west and south.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said the declaration was “in line with the spirit” of the Abraham Accords, a series of normalization agreements signed between Israel and mostly Arab states in 2020.
The newspaper published a video in which Benjamin Netanyahu speaks via video call with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, inviting him to visit Israel and describing the friendship between the two countries as “historic”. Abdullahi said he would be happy to be in Jerusalem as soon as possible.
Donald Trump said in an interview published in the New York Post on Friday that he opposes US recognition of Somaliland. “No,” the president said when asked about U.S. recognition of Somaliland, adding: “Does anyone really know what Somaliland is?”
The US administration is reportedly divided on the issue of recognizing Somaliland, with some fearing that such a move could jeopardize military cooperation with Somalia. The US has troops stationed there and is supporting Somali forces in their fight against the Islamist al-Shabaab movement.
While this move by Israel was condemned by Egypt and Turkey, the following statements were made in the statement: “This initiative, which is compatible with Israel’s expansionist policy and its effort to do everything to prevent the recognition of the Palestinian state, is a clear intervention in Somalia’s internal affairs.”
Sa’ar said the recognition came after a year of talks between the two countries and that he instructed the Israeli foreign ministry to “immediately institutionalize ties between the two countries.”
Israeli analysts said recognition of the breakaway state could be in Israel’s strategic interest, given Somaliland’s proximity to Yemen, where Israel has launched extensive airstrikes against Houthi rebels in the past two years.
A. report In November, the Institute for National Security Studies, an Israeli think tank, said: “Somaliland territory could serve as a forward base for multiple missions: intelligence monitoring of the Houthis and their arms efforts; logistical support to the legitimate government of Yemen in its war against them; and a platform for direct operations against the Houthis.”
Somaliland authorities currently host a military base in Berbera operated by the United Arab Emirates, which has a military port as well as a runway for fighter jets and transport planes. Analysts have suggested that the base is an important part of the UAE’s anti-Houthi campaign in Yemen.
Somaliland’s president said in May that US military officials, including the top military officer in the Horn of Africa, had visited Somaliland and that another US delegation was expected to visit soon. “It’s a matter of time. It’s not a matter of if, but when and who will lead the recognition of Somaliland,” Abdullahi told the Guardian.
Project 2025, which was published in 2023 and allegedly guided much of the doctrine of Donald Trump’s second administration, called for Somaliland to be recognized as a hedge against the worsening US position in Djibouti, where Chinese influence is growing.
This August, Texas Republican senator Ted Cruz wrote a letter to Trump asking him to recognize Somaliland. Cruz stated that Somaliland is an ally of Israel and supports the Abraham Accords.
Somaliland’s population is just over 6.2 million. The separatist state has a democratic system in which power is transferred peacefully; However, Washington-based non-profit organization Freedom House noted that “political rights and civic space have been eroded” in recent years, with journalists and opposition figures facing pressure from authorities.
