Last Updated on December 30, 2025 1:22 am by INDIAN AWAAZ
Asad Mirza
On Friday last (26 December) Israel became the first country to recognise Somaliland as a sovereign state, a breakthrough in its quest for international recognition since it declared independence from Somalia 34 years ago. However, the move has prompted a critical international and regional response.
The Guardian has reported that the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, announced on Friday that Israel and Somaliland have signed an agreement establishing full diplomatic relations, which would include the opening of embassies and the appointment of ambassadors.
The recognition is a historic moment for Somaliland, which declared its independence from Somalia in 1991 but until now had failed to be recognised by any UN member states. Somaliland controls the north-west tip of Somalia, where it operates a de facto state, and is bordered by Djibouti to the north-west and Ethiopia to the west and south, and sitting close to key maritime chokepoints linking Africa, the Middle East and global trade routes.
For more than three decades, Somaliland has functioned like a country in all but name. That changed when Israel announced it was formally recognising Somaliland as a sovereign state — the first UN member to do so. The move has elevated Somaliland’s diplomatic profile but also triggered sharp regional pushback, underlining how geopolitics in the Horn of Africa are becoming increasingly entangled with West Asian rivalries.
Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told an emergency parliamentary session on Sunday (December 28) that Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland “is (a) threat to the security and stability of the world and the region.”
What is Somaliland?
Somaliland emerged on the global map in 1991 after the collapse of Somalia’s central government and years of civil war. It declared independence from Somalia, reclaiming the borders of the former British Somaliland protectorate.
Since then, it has operated as a de facto state. It has held elections, maintained relative internal stability, issued its own currency, and built local security institutions — in sharp contrast to the prolonged instability in much of southern Somalia. Despite this, no country had formally recognised it as sovereign until Israel’s announcement.
Most countries have avoided recognising Somaliland out of concern that it would encourage separatist movements elsewhere in Africa and undermine the principle of inherited colonial borders. The African Union has consistently backed Somalia’s territorial integrity, even while acknowledging Somaliland’s relative success in governance.
For Somaliland, this lack of recognition has meant limited access to international finance, constrained trade links, and exclusion from global institutions — despite functioning independently for over 30 years.
Israel’s geopolitically significant decision
For Somaliland, recognition by a UN member state strengthens its claim to sovereignty and could open the door for further diplomatic engagement, investment, and security cooperation.
For Israel, the move expands its strategic footprint in Africa, especially near the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden — one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors. Somaliland’s proximity to Yemen adds further strategic value, given Israel’s security concerns in the region.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait separates these two bodies of water. This is an economic choke point for shipping heading from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean. As such, this is globally considered to be a vitally important trade zone.
The Iranian-backed Houthis have terrorised shipping for the last several years in this area. They claimed to do so due to the war in Gaza. Decades ago, moreover, Somali pirates routinely attacked ships off East Africa’s coast.
This area is now in the spotlight amid Israel’s recognition of Somaliland. Some may see the move as marking the beginning of a new era of international competition in this part of Africa.
The territory already hosts a military facility run by the United Arab Emirates at the port of Berbera, a base analysts say plays a key role in regional maritime and security operations.
Many commentators see Israel’s move as strategic. It ostensibly puts Israel and the UAE on one side, sharing interests in this region. Meanwhile, states such as Turkey are situated on the other side.
According to Jerusalem Post, nothing is that simplistic. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have agreed on Yemen. Egypt is unlikely to favour changes in the Horn of Africa and already has deep concerns about the Rapid Support Forces’ increased presence in Sudan and about a new dam in Egypt. Qatar and many countries oppose Israel’s move.
The issues in the Horn of Africa appear to revolve mostly around strategic questions. While it is true that having naval forces in this area or military assets seems important, the Houthis’ attacks on ships have shown that with relatively simple and cheap drones and missiles, shipping can be terrorised.
The Horn of Africa is resource-poor, and there is a good reason many of its countries are weak states. As such, from a grand-strategic perspective, Israeli recognition may be less than the sum of its parts in this region.
It is true that many countries have interests in this area, including France and the US, Turkey and Iran, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia. However, these interests have so far translated into only limited engagement. There are bigger fish to fry, as most countries already know.
Recognition and the Abraham Accords
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu framed the recognition as being “in the spirit” of the Abraham Accords. He has promised rapid cooperation with Somaliland in agriculture, health, technology, and economic development, and invited Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi to visit Israel.
For Israel, this signals an effort to extend the logic of the Abraham Accords beyond the Middle East, linking diplomatic normalisation with strategic geography.
The international backlash
Even the US President Donald Trump, has said that he opposed US recognition of Somaliland in an interview with the New York Post published Friday “No,” the president told the Post when asked about US recognition of Somaliland, adding: “Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?”
The announcement prompted swift opposition from countries wary of destabilising precedents. Egypt, along with Turkey and others, reaffirmed support for Somalia’s unity and warned that recognising breakaway regions threatens regional stability.
These concerns are not just legal but strategic. Somaliland sits at the intersection of rivalries involving Somalia, Ethiopia, and Egypt, particularly over Red Sea access and influence in the Horn of Africa. Israel’s entry into this sensitive equation heightens anxieties about militarisation and external power competition.
Going forward
Israel’s recognition does not automatically secure Somaliland broader international acceptance, but it changes the conversation. Other states may now reassess their long-held reluctance, especially if strategic or economic incentives align.
At the same time, Somalia is likely to intensify diplomatic efforts to block further recognition, while regional powers weigh how this development affects their own interests in one of the world’s most geopolitically volatile corridors.
For Somaliland, the moment marks a long-sought breakthrough — but one that comes with heightened scrutiny and new geopolitical risks.
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