Israel becomes the first United Nations member country to officially recognise the Republic of Somaliland as an Independent and sovereign state, ending a three-decade-long struggle of the region, which broke away from Somalia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday (Dec 26) signed a joint declaration with Somaliland’s President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi to establish full diplomatic ties with the country "in the spirit of the Abrahmic Accords" championed by US President Donald Trump.
Netanyahu said Israel would seek immediate cooperation with Somaliland in areas of agriculture, health, technology, and the economy. He congratulated President Abdullahi and extended an invitation to visit Israel.
“I congratulated the President of Somaliland, Dr Abdirahman Mohamed Abdallah, and praised his leadership and commitment to promoting stability and peace. I invited the President to pay an official visit to Israel,” Netaynayahu posted on X.
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Somliland's quest for legitimacySomaliland, formally known as the Republic of Somaliland, is a self-declared republic located in the Horn of Africa and inhabited by a Majority Sunni Muslim population.
It enjoyed a brief recognition as an independent country for five days in 1960, when Somaliland was recognised by 35 countries, including Israel, before it was united with Somalia. It finally broke away from Somalia in 1991 following a brutal civil war and declared itself as an independent nation without international recognition. However, several countries, including the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, Denmark, and Kenya, maintained informal diplomatic ties with Somaliland.
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Somalia, which considers Somaliland as a breakaway province, has long rejected and rallied against efforts to gain international recognition.
Somaliland's reaction to Israeli recognitionSomaliland’s president welcomed Israel’s announcement recognising its statehood, calling the move the start of a “strategic partnership”.
In a post on X, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi described the recognition as a “historic moment” and said Somaliland was ready to join the Abraham Accords, which normalise relations with Israel.
"This is a historic moment as we warmly welcome the Prime Minister of the State of Israel's recognition of the Republic of Somaliland and affirm Somaliland's readiness to join the Abraham Accords," normalising relations with Israel, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi posted on X.
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