Israel becomes first country to recognise Somaliland
Benjamin Netanyahu has pressured Keir Starmer and Donald Trump to recognize a former British protectorate in a bid to combat terrorism in the Middle East.
Israel’s prime minister has unilaterally recognized the disputed state of Somaliland, which is vital to combating the Houthi threat in the Red Sea and the Strait of Aden, where Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists have attacked ships.
This means that Israel was the first country to officially recognize Somaliland, which declared independence 34 years ago in 1991. Only Ethiopia had previously made an agreement with this unrecognized state in the Horn of Africa.
This comes at a time when President Trump is under pressure to recognize the breakaway African state, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 after a bitter civil war, with Britain under pressure to do the same.
Netanyahu, who has launched attacks against the Houthis in the region, said that the decision to recognize Somaliland was “in line with the spirit of the Abraham Accords”.
Netanyahu congratulated Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Abdirahman Cirro, in a video call, praising his “leadership and determination to promote stability and peace” and inviting him to visit Israel.
He added: “The State of Israel plans to immediately expand its relations with the Republic of Somaliland through comprehensive cooperation in the fields of agriculture, health, technology and economy.”
An Israeli government source confirmed this. Independent He said the move was to build on efforts to “fight Iran and its allies in the region,” including the Houthis.
Somaliland gained independence from Britain on 26 June 1960, but days later on 1 July 1960, it united with its former Italian neighbor to form Somalia.
After three decades of civil war and brutality, during which English was banned in schools and thousands of people were forced to flee Somaliland, the former British protectorate regained independence in 1991 and has been running its own affairs ever since.
The United Kingdom, led by farmer prime minister David Cameron, came close to formal recognition in 2012 but agreed to wait for recognition from African states first.
Opposition to recognition of Somaliland has come from Democratic administrations led by Barack Obama and more recently Joe Biden; both strongly supported Somalia’s claim to the region.
This was despite concerns that Somaliland remained unstable and was a center of piracy and terrorist activity, despite Somaliland seeking to ally with western interests and successfully holding democratic elections.
However, Trump has a different perspective on Somaliland’s Berbera port being seen as an important base in the fight against piracy and terrorist attacks in the Red Sea and the Strait of Aden.
Netanyahu’s move is expected to change the diplomatic balance of power in the Horn of Africa and threaten to further isolate Somalia.
One of the strongest advocates of Somaliland recognition is former British defense secretary Gavin Williamson, who holds honorary citizenship of the country.
He is one of many senior parliamentarians pushing for a change in the Foreign Office’s 34-year deadlock.
He said: “It is important that the UK and US move quickly to recognize Somaliland so that we can work with them as key strategic allies to bring peace and stability to the Red Sea and beyond.”
