Israel recognises breakaway Somaliland region

Israel became the first country to recognise Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, giving it a new partner on the strategic Red Sea coast.

Friday’s deal, announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, comes ahead of planned 29 December talks with US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on the shaky Gaza ceasefire and wider efforts to stabilize the Middle East.

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Netanyahu’s office said he and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi signed a joint recognition pact.

Describing Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state,” the statement said Netanyahu invited Abdullahi for an official visit to Israel.

“This declaration is in the spirit of the Abraham Accords,” it said, referring to the landmark forging of relations between Israel and several Arab countries in 2020 during the first Trump administration.

The US president has sought to expand the accords, but arguably the most-prized candidate, Saudi Arabia, has balked at joining in protest at the Gaza war and long-stalled efforts to found a Palestinian state.

In a statement issued on social media platform X, Abdullahi said Somaliland firmly intended acceding to the Abraham accords. He described Israel’s recognition of the territory as a milestone in its longstanding pursuit for international legitimacy and statehood.

Somalia, which regards Somaliland as an integral part of its territory, rejected the deal as unlawful, describing it as “deliberate attack on its sovereignty.”

Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the chairman of the African Union Commission, also criticised the pact.

“Any attempt to undermine the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Somalia runs counter to the fundamental principles of the African Union and risks setting a dangerous precedent with far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent,” he said in a statement.

Independence proclamation

Trump signaled the US won’t quickly follow Israel’s move, saying he needs to “study” Netanyahu’s pitch in an interview with the New York Post published on Friday.

Saudi Arabia rejected Netanyahu’s recognition of Somaliland, calling the step “a unilateral secessionist movement that violates international law,” the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.

Turkey took a similar stance, with the foreign ministry saying Israel’s decision is “yet another example of the Netanyahu government’s unlawful actions aimed at creating instability at the regional and global levels,” in a post on X.

Muslim-majority Somaliland proclaimed independence from Somalia in 1991, but has failed to win international recognition for its sovereignty.

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The US makes do with acknowledging Somaliland’s claim to the territory. Several countries have representative offices in Somaliland, which also borders Djibouti and Ethiopia and faces Yemen across the Gulf of Aden.

While Somalia has grappled with three decades of civil war and an entrenched Islamist insurgency, the breakaway region has been mostly peaceful.

Netanyahu’s statement credited Somaliland with “fighting terrorism and advancing regional peace” and said Israeli intelligence agency Mossad had been involved in building bilateral relations.

The two-year Gaza war set off several other fronts between Israel and Iran or Tehran-aligned militias — among them the Yemen-based Houthi rebels.

Somaliland could potentially provide a springboard for military action against the Houthis.

“For those mocking why Israel would engage Somaliland: look at the map. Somaliland sits on the Gulf of Aden, next to the Bab el-Mandeb — a choke point for global trade and energy,” said Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think-tank in Washington.

“Across the water are Iran-backed Houthis firing on Israel and shipping. Somaliland offers stability, ports, intelligence access, and a non-Iranian platform on the Red Sea.”

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