Ya Libnan

Somalia, Arab nations, Turkey denounce Israeli recognition of Somaliland

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Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has for 34 years pushed for international recognition. (ABC News: Sally Sara)

Summary

Israel has become the first country to formally recognise Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state”.

Somalia, along with Egypt, Türkiye, and the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council have condemned the move, citing a risk to regional stability.

What’s next?

The establishment of full diplomatic ties between Israel and Somaliland will include the appointment of ambassadors and the opening of embassies.

Somalia’s foreign ministry says Israel’s recognition of its northern region of Somaliland as an independent state jeopardises regional stability.

It denounced Israel’s “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty, warning that this would “undermine regional peace”.

“Illegitimate actions of this nature seriously undermine regional peace and stability, exacerbate political and security tensions,” the ministry said in a statement.

Israel on Friday formally recognised Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties, as the region’s leader hailed its first-ever official recognition.

Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has for decades pushed for international recognition, the key priority for President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi since he took office last year.

Two sources from the Somali prime minister’s office said the government was holding a crisis meeting on Friday evening, while several countries condemned the move.

One of the sources told AFP that Somalia had “communicated with its key international partners and is discussing this issue”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he announced “the official recognition of the Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state”, making Israel the first country to do so.

“The declaration is in the spirit of the Abraham Accords,” Netanyahu’s office said, referring to several agreements between Israel and Arab countries brokered by US President Donald Trump during his first presidency to normalise ties with Israel.

It said Netanyahu invited Mr Abdullahi to visit.

Mr Abdullahi hailed the Israeli move, saying it marked the beginning of a “strategic partnership”.

“This is a historic moment as we warmly welcome” Israel’s recognition and “affirm Somaliland’s readiness to join the Abraham Accords”, he posted on X.

Arab nations condemn the move

Close Somali ally Türkiye said “this initiative by Israel, which aligns with its expansionist policy … constitutes overt interference in Somalia’s domestic affairs”.

Egypt’s foreign ministry said its top diplomat spoke with his counterparts from Türkiye, Somalia and Djibouti, who together condemned the move and emphasised “their full support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia”.

The ministers also rejected “any unilateral actions that would compromise Somali sovereignty or undermine the foundations of stability in the country” and “any attempts to impose parallel entities that conflict with the unity of the Somali state”, the Egyptian ministry statement said.


The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council said in a statement that the Israeli move “constitutes a grave violation of the principles of international law and a blatant infringement upon the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Somalia.

“This recognition represents a dangerous precedent that will undermine the foundations of stability in the Horn of Africa region and open the door to further tensions and conflicts,” the regional bloc’s Secretary-General, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, said in a statement.

It also goes against “regional and international efforts aimed at strengthening international peace and security in the region”, the statement added.

The Saudi-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation also expressed its “categorical rejection” of the Israeli move, calling it a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In a statement expressing full solidarity with Somalia, the OIC emphasised the importance of “maintaining security, peace and stability in the Horn of Africa region and rejecting any actions that would undermine regional stability”.


In a video showing Mr Netanyahu speaking to Mr Abdullahi via telephone, he said: “I want you to know that I am signing now as we speak Israel’s official recognition of the Somaliland,” adding that the new relationship would offer economic opportunities.

“I am very, very happy and I am very proud of this day, and I want to wish you and the people of Somaliland the very, very best,” he said.

Mr Netanyahu also said that he would communicate to US President Donald Trump about Mr Abdullahi’s “willingness and desire to join the Abraham Accords”.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the two countries had agreed to establish “full diplomatic ties, which will include the appointment of ambassadors and the opening of embassies”.

“I have instructed my ministry to act immediately to institutionalise ties between the two countries across a wide range of fields,” he said in a statement.

A self-proclaimed republic, Somaliland enjoys a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden, has its own money, passports and army.

But since its unilateral declaration of independence in 1991, it has grappled with decades of isolation.

Strategic and economic opportunities

Analysts say matters of strategy were behind Israel’s drive to recognise Somaliland.

“Israel requires allies in the Red Sea region for many strategic reasons, among them the possibility of a future campaign against the Houthis,” said the Institute for National Security Studies in a paper last month, referring to Yemen’s Iran-backed rebels.

Somaliland is an ideal candidate for such cooperation as it could offer Israel potential access to an operational area close to the conflict zone,” it said, adding there were also economic motives.

Israel repeatedly hit targets in Yemen after the Gaza war broke out in October 2023, in response to Houthi attacks on Israel that the rebels said were in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis have halted their attacks since a fragile truce began in Gaza in October.

Somaliland’s lack of international recognition has hampered access to foreign loans, aid and investment, and the region remains deeply impoverished.

A deal between landlocked Ethiopia and Somaliland last year to lease a stretch of coastline for a port and military base enraged Somalia.

Israel has been trying to bolster relations with countries in the Middle East and Africa.

Historic agreements struck late in Mr Trump’s first term in 2020 saw several countries, including Muslim-majority United Arab Emirates and Morocco, normalise relations with Israel, but wars that have stoked Arab anger, particularly in Gaza, have hampered recent efforts.

Gaza link

In regional political circles, analysts are already whispering about a darker possibility: that Somaliland could be positioned as a future dumping ground for displaced Gazans.

Earlier this year, Donald Trump openly floated the idea of pushing Gazans into Egypt or other Arab countries

For Palestinians, Gaza is not an empty coastline waiting for developers. It is home—however battered, however besieged. Yet for Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and chief Middle East dealmaker, Gaza has long been framed less as a human tragedy than as a “prime piece of waterfront real estate.” Development talk replaces accountability; luxury replaces justice, analysts are saying

If true, this would mark one of the most cruel acts of the modern era—the forced uprooting of a people from their land, not because there is no alternative, but because powerful actors find displacement more convenient than justice, analysts concluded

AFP

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