Israel has become the first country in the world to recognise the East African region of Somaliland as an independent state, the Israeli government announced last Friday.
Somaliland, a Muslim-majority region in Northern Somalia with a population of a few million, has operated de facto independently for more than three decades.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and Somaliland President, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi signed a joint statement formalising the recognition, which Israel said was made “in the spirit” of the Abraham Accords.
The Abraham Accords, initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump in 2020, previously led the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan to normalise relations with Israel.
The move to recognise Somaliland has sparked anger among several regional powers.
African Union, AU, representing all 55 internationally recognised African states, warned that any attempt to undermine Somalia’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity risks setting “a dangerous precedent with far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent”.
President Donald Trump says he does not intend to immediately follow Israel in recognising Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent country.
Trump made this known in a telephone interview the New York Post on Friday.
“Everything is under study … We’ll study it.
“I study a lot of things and always make great decisions and they turn out to be correct.
“Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?” he asked.
On Somaliland’s proposal to provide the U.S. with access to a port on the strategically significant Gulf of Aden, Trump responded dismissively, saying: “Big deal”.
Israel on Friday became the first country to formally recognise Somaliland’s separation from Somalia.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convey the development to Trump during a planned meeting scheduled for Monday (today).
Speaking during a video call with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi to mark the diplomatic move, Netanyahu said he would also inform Trump of Somaliland’s interest in joining the Abraham Accords.
Trump underlined that he was not swayed by the proposal and that the upcoming talks with Netanyahu would prioritise issues related to the Gaza Strip.
He added that the talks would also prioritise the Gaza ceasefire which he brokered in October and ongoing reconstruction efforts under a UN-approved framework. dpa/NAN and AA/NAN
