<\/p>\n
Israel became the first country to recognise Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, giving it a new partner on the strategic Red Sea coast.<\/p>\n
Friday\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Read:
Netanyahu tells military to strike Gaza, jeopardising ceasefire
Ethiopia, Somalia to collaborate on countering insurgents<\/p>\n
Netanyahu\u2019s office said he and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi signed a joint recognition pact.<\/p>\n
\nDescribing Somaliland as an \u201cindependent and sovereign state,\u201d the statement said Netanyahu invited Abdullahi for an official visit to Israel.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u201cThis declaration is in the spirit of the Abraham Accords,\u201d it said, referring to the landmark forging of relations between Israel and several Arab countries in 2020 during the first Trump administration.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
In a statement issued on social media platform X, Abdullahi said Somaliland firmly intended acceding to the Abraham accords. He described Israel\u2019s recognition of the territory as a milestone in its longstanding pursuit for international legitimacy and statehood.<\/p>\n
\n\nADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n
CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Somalia, which regards Somaliland as an integral part of its territory, rejected the deal as unlawful, describing it as \u201cdeliberate attack on its sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nMahmoud Ali Youssouf, the chairman of the African Union Commission, also criticised the pact.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u201cAny 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,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Independence proclamation<\/strong><\/p>\n
Trump signaled the US won\u2019t quickly follow Israel\u2019s move, saying he needs to \u201cstudy\u201d Netanyahu\u2019s pitch in an interview with the New York Post published on Friday.<\/p>\n
\nSaudi Arabia rejected Netanyahu\u2019s recognition of Somaliland, calling the step \u201ca unilateral secessionist movement that violates international law,\u201d the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Turkey took a similar stance, with the foreign ministry saying Israel\u2019s decision is \u201cyet another example of the Netanyahu government\u2019s unlawful actions aimed at creating instability at the regional and global levels,\u201d in a post on X.<\/p>\n
\nMuslim-majority Somaliland proclaimed independence from Somalia in 1991, but has failed to win international recognition for its sovereignty.<\/p>\n
\n\nADVERTISEMENT:<\/p>\n
CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The US makes do with acknowledging Somaliland\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
While Somalia has grappled with three decades of civil war and an entrenched Islamist insurgency, the breakaway region has been mostly peaceful.<\/p>\n
Netanyahu\u2019s statement credited Somaliland with \u201cfighting terrorism and advancing regional peace\u201d and said Israeli intelligence agency Mossad had been involved in building bilateral relations.<\/p>\n
The two-year Gaza war set off several other fronts between Israel and Iran or Tehran-aligned militias \u2014 among them the Yemen-based Houthi rebels.<\/p>\n
\nSomaliland could potentially provide a springboard for military action against the Houthis.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u201cFor those mocking why Israel would engage Somaliland: look at the map. Somaliland sits on the Gulf of Aden, next to the Bab el-Mandeb \u2014 a choke point for global trade and energy,\u201d said Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think-tank in Washington.<\/p>\n
\u201cAcross 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a02025\u00a0Bloomberg<\/p>\n
Follow Moneyweb\u2019s in-depth finance and business news on WhatsApp here.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n