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(Bloomberg) — Israel became the first country to recognize Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, giving it a new partner on the strategic Red Sea coast.
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Friday’s deal, announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, comes ahead of his planned Dec. 29 talks with US President Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago 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.
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“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.
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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.
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In a statement issues 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.
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There was no immediate reaction from Somalia, but the deal is likely to anger Mogadishu, which regards Somaliland as an integral part of its territory.
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Muslim-majority Somaliland proclaimed independence from Somalia in 1991, but has failed to win international recognition for its sovereignty. 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.
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Civil War
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While Somalia has grappled with three decades of civil war and an entrenched Islamist insurgency, the breakaway region has been mostly peaceful.
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Netanyahu’s statement credited Somaliland with “fighting terrorism and advancing regional peace” and said Israeli intelligence agency Moss ad had been involved in building bilateral relations.
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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.
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“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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