The Israeli Occupation has triggered a major diplomatic crisis by formally recognising Somaliland as a sovereign state, becoming the first country to do so. The announcement followed a mutual recognition agreement signed on Friday by Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and the Somaliland leader, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi. While Netanyahu framed the move as a partnership in technology and agriculture, Israel’s Channel 14 reported that the recognition was contingent on Somaliland’s agreement to accept displaced residents from the Gaza Strip.
The move has provoked a wave of regional fury. Somalia’s foreign ministry condemned the act as a “deliberate attack on its sovereignty,” warning it would undermine regional peace. In a rare display of regional unity, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Turkey, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan issued statements affirming their support for Somalia’s territorial integrity and rejecting unilateral actions. Similarly, the Arab League, the African Union, and the Gulf Cooperation Council denounced the move as a blatant violation of international law and the principle of national sovereignty.
The recognition grants Israel a strategic foothold on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, along a 740km coastline close to critical global trade routes and the vital port of Berbera. Although Somaliland—a territory of some 176,000 square kilometres—has maintained its own army and currency since declaring independence in the early 1990s, it has lacked international recognition until this unprecedented “Israeli” intervention, which comes just ahead of Netanyahu’s scheduled talks with Donald Trump regarding Middle East stability.
Abdullahi expressed gratitude to Israel, praising its role in “combating terrorism,” while international observers warned that the precedent could further destabilise the fragile Horn of Africa by encouraging secessionist movements and infringing upon established international norms.
