Tendai Keith Guvamombe
In a seismic shift in global geopolitics, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially announced on December 26, 2025, that Israel has recognized the Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state.
This historic move makes Israel the first United Nations member state to extend full diplomatic recognition to the territory since it declared independence from Somalia in 1991.
The announcement, formalized through a joint declaration with Somaliland President Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdallah and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, represents a major milestone in bilateral relations and a significant departure from the international community’s long-standing policy of non-recognition.
The Prime Minister framed this development within the “spirit of the Abraham Accords,” suggesting a strategic expansion of Israel’s regional outreach and security cooperation in the Horn of Africa.
By establishing formal ties, Israel aims to institutionalize partnerships in high-growth sectors such as agritech, healthcare, and digital infrastructure.
Furthermore, the recognition carries immense maritime security implications; Somaliland’s strategic coastline along the Gulf of Aden offers a critical vantage point for monitoring Red Sea shipping lanes and countering regional threats, a task the Prime Minister explicitly linked to the efforts of the Mossad and its director, David Barnea.
However, the declaration has ignited a firestorm of diplomatic backlash. The Federal Government of Somalia in Mogadishu condemned the move as a “deliberate attack” on its territorial integrity, while the African Union (AU) Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, issued a blistering rejection, citing the 1964 OAU principle regarding the intangibility of borders.
Regional powers including Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia have also voiced concerns that the move violates international law and risks setting a dangerous precedent for secessionist movements across the continent.
Despite the friction, the mood in Hargeisa remains celebratory as the government prepares for an official state visit to Jerusalem. For Somaliland, this sovereign recognition provides a much-needed gateway to global financial markets and international legitimacy.
As the UN Security Council prepares for an emergency session to discuss the fallout, the world watches to see if Israel’s bold foreign policy maneuver will trigger a “domino effect” of recognition or deepen the regional divide in the strategically vital Red Sea corridor.
