Israel becomes first country to recognize Somaliland

Israel has become the first country in the world to recognize the east African region of Somaliland as an independent state, the Israeli government announced on Friday, prompting international backlash.

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 formalizing the recognition, which Israel said was made "in the spirit" of the Abraham Accords. According to a statement, Netanyahu invited the president of Somaliland for an official visit to Israel.

The Abraham Accords, initiated by US President Donald Trump in 2020, previously led the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan to normalize relations with Israel.

Other countries, including neighbouring Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates, also maintain ties with Somaliland but have not formally recognized it as an independent state.

The move to recognize Somaliland has sparked anger among several regional powers.

The Somali government condemned Israel's recognition of the breakaway region, calling it a deliberate and illegal attack on the country's sovereignty. Somaliland is an "inseparable" part of Somalia's territory, it said.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit also criticized Israel's move, saying it represented a "clear violation of international law" and a disregard for the principles of territorial unity and state sovereignty.

The African Union (AU), representing all 55 internationally recognized 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."

According to Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, secret contacts between Israel and Somaliland began months ago. At the time, Israel was seeking countries willing to take in Palestinian residents of the embattled Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu's ally US President Donald Trump had previously floated the idea of relocating the residents, which drew international criticism.

Another key reason for Israel's engagement with Somaliland, the Times of Israel reported, is the region's proximity to Yemen.

Access to Somaliland's territory and airspace would enable Israel to more easily monitor and, if necessary, strike the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen, which has attacked Israeli targets and - especially since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict - commercial vessels believed to be linked to Israel.