Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland: Interests and Merging Strategies

• Commentary Africa
  by Aleksi Ylönen
• whatsapp

On 26 December 2025, Israel recognized the Republic of Somaliland. This marked a significant step forward in Somaliland's three decades of seeking international recognition, elevating its status from a non-recognized to a partially recognized state. Although Somaliland has already gained a degree of recognition from international actors, it was not formally acknowledged by any United Nations member states. This commentary takes a brief look into Somaliland's current trajectory and some of the reasons, early reactions, and possible consequences of Israel's recognition of Somaliland.

Birth or re-birth? Somaliland's origins and independence claims

Somaliland is often described as a "breakaway region" of Somalia, strategically located near the mouth of the Red Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping routes. This characterizaIsrael's Recognition of Somaliland: Interests and Merging Strategiestion, implying that Somaliland has seceded from Somalia, is inaccurate, given its peculiar historical trajectory. On 26 June 1960, the State of Somaliland gained independence from the United Kingdom, and five days after, entered a voluntary union with Somalia, the former Trust Territory of Somaliland under Italian Administration, which became independent on 1 July 1960. During its brief independence, Somaliland received congratulatory notes from 35 countries, including the five permanent member states of the United Nations Security Council, and Israel. While some of these interactions and other agreements (e.g. with United Kingdom), amounted to formal recognition, others, such as those from the United States, merely acknowledged the state's existence.

On 28 May 1991, following the failure of the voluntary union with Somalia - partly due to marginalization and atrocities committed by the Siad Barre regime during the 1980s - the Somali National Movement (SNM), a rebel group mainly composed of the Isaaq clan, declared the independence of Somaliland with wide support from traditional leaders representing their Isaaq, Harti, and Dir clan constituencies, as well as the public. In this way, the briefly existing independent State of Somaliland was reconstituted as the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland, which regained sovereign de-facto status but remained unrecognized. Since then, Somalilanders have built a functioning and relatively democratic and secure state, in contrast to present-day Somalia, which continues to suffer from deeply ingrained political instability, insecurity and extensive armed conflict.

Since the mid-1990s, the Somaliland governments have had two main, longstanding foreign policy goals: gaining international recognition of their de-facto independence and attracting foreign partners for economic development. Hargeisa has deployed its diplomats and representatives along with diaspora support, especially in key partner countries. It has pursued relations with Western states and their partners in particular, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan, focusing its international and regional efforts on great, middle, and small powers deemed most likely to grant Somaliland formal recognition. However, while securing varying degrees of acknowledgement, humanitarian aid, development assistance and foreign investment, Somaliland had not gained international recognition from any member state of the United Nations.

Israel's recognition of Somaliland sparked shockwaves

On 26 December 2025, the Israeli government officially recognized Somaliland. Tel Aviv's Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa'ar, who visited Somaliland in early January, wrote that "Over the past year, based on an extensive and ongoing dialogue, relations between Israel and Somaliland have taken shape". In a declaration in response to Somaliland's formal request for recognition, the State of Israel indicated that it decided to recognize "the Republic of Somaliland as a sovereign and independent state" based on "shared values, strategic interest, and the spirit of mutual respect" in a stated commitment to advance peace, stability and prosperity. According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the recognition continued the normalization of ties achieved with some Arab countries during the Abraham Accords in 2020-2021, while he congratulated the President of Somaliland, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi "Cirro" in a video call, and invited him to visit Israel. President Cirro described the recognition as marking "the beginning of a strategic partnership that advances mutual interests, strengthens regional peace and security, and delivers shared benefits to all stakeholders, without prejudice to any party".

The recognition by Israel followed initial claims that Hargeisa would agree to receive Palestinians according to Tel Aviv and Washington's resettlement plan to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip, and that Somaliland would host an Israeli military base, but these rumors were denied by the Somaliland Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It came after long negotiations and shows Hargeisa's successful effort to convince Tel Aviv and exploit the fault lines of international and regional political alignments. Hargeisa's strategic goals of gaining recognition and securing shipping lanes through the Strait of Bab al-Mandab elevate its position and improve the Berbera port's standing. These efforts, which drive economic activity and development in Somaliland, merge with Tel Aviv's initiative to expand its influence in the challenging Red Sea and Gulf of Aden neighborhood, particularly near the Houthi-controlled and Iran-supported part of Yemen.

However, as expected, Somalia and its close partners Egypt and Türkiye, as well as Djibouti, rejected Israel's recognition and it sparked criticism at the UN Security Council. While Somalia sees the move as a blatant violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, other concerned governments see it as a dangerous precedent and a threat to international peace and security, despite Somaliland's record of being relatively stable and secure compared to other states in the region. In a countermove, Somaliland withdrew its representation to Djibouti, which is concerned about losing strategic importance and its role as landlocked Ethiopia's main import-export route.

Israel's move has put increasing pressure on Somaliland's close partners, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates, which already grant Hargeisa a wide degree of informal recognition, to follow suit. Addis Ababa has long maintained that Ethiopia, a rising regional economic giant, would not be the initial, but the second country to recognize Somaliland, and is now caught in this strategy between its main partners, the UAE and China, while eyeing improved logistics corridors and increased sea access through Somaliland. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi's proximity to Hargeisa -driven by close economic and security ties and mutual interests with Israel in the Red Sea neighborhood- coupled with deteriorating ties with Mogadishu, is putting increased pressure on the United Arab Emirates to officially recognize Somaliland. Conversely, Beijing continues to oppose the recognition of Somaliland due to its "One China" policy and Hargeisa's close relations with Taipei and significant Western powers. China has become an increasingly significant partner to Mogadishu.

The recognition has generated increasing pressure, forcing states to adopt more uncompromising positions on Somalia and Somaliland. Those engaging with Somaliland are now under pressure to decide the extent of their commitment to its independence and development. Others, aligned with Mogadishu, will have to evaluate their cooperation amidst ongoing insecurity and lack of state authority in federal Somalia, while weighing the implications of Somaliland's official recognition. While controversial, the move shows how Israel, as the first United Nations member state, has yielded to Hargeisa's long-standing pursuit of official recognition and how, after more than three decades of non-recognition, Somaliland is becoming a partially recognized state. Although largely symbolic, Somaliland's new status may lead to further recognition and is likely to open new avenues for international cooperation, strategic and security collaboration and economic development with an increasing number of states.