On Friday, December 26, Israel formally recognized Somaliland, the breakaway province of Somalia, becoming the only United Nations member to recognize it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi signed a joint declaration establishing full diplomatic relations and pledging cooperation in areas including agriculture, health, and economic development. Israel described the move as part of the broader Abraham Accords framework. Coming on the eve of his visit to Washington, Netanyahu has laid this strategic stink bomb on the doorstep of the Trump administration.
Somaliland unilaterally broke away from Somalia in 1991 and is only recognized by Taiwan, itself not an independent nation. Somalia called Israel’s move a deliberate attack on its country’s sovereignty. African Union Commission chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf denounced the Israeli recognition in an official statement, as did Egypt, Turkey, and Djibouti.
In an interview with the New York Post, President Donald Trump said that Washington currently is not prepared to recognize Somaliland. He also sounded unimpressed by Somaliland’s willingness to join the Abraham Accords. As for Somaliland’s offer to host U.S. military bases, Trump said skeptically, “Big deal.” The U.S. already has bases in neighboring Djibouti.
Lying just south of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, Somaliland holds a commanding position at the entrance of the Red Sea, as well as being located on the Horn of Africa, a geopolitical position Netanyahu will try to exploit both politically and militarily.
The Egyptian government-owned daily Al Ahram warned that the move “signals a qualitative shift in Israel’s strategy toward the Horn of Africa—from a phase of indirect influence to one of overt political and security positioning in a region that lies in proximity to the very heart of Egyptian national security.” The author added that it was “a component of a wider process aimed at reshaping regional power balances..”
The region is already highly unstable. Somalia itself faces a major terrorist threat and hosted international peace keeping forces, including the US, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Burundi, are engaged in the fight against the al-Shabaab terrorist organization. Turkey also has a major presence, including military. In addition the Sudanese army is fighting the ruthless Rapid Support Forces, said to be backed by the British via the United Arab Emirates. Egypt and Ethiopia, both members of the BRICS, are directly affected by any further destabilization of the region. Yemen, lying across the Red Sea, can also be added to the mix.
The biggest danger is that Netanyahu would try to convince the Trump administration to also recognize Somaliland and become a partner with Israel in this dangerous adventure.
