Israel, the first country in the world to recognize Somaliland as an independent state

BarcelonaIsrael has officially recognized Somaliland, the breakaway region of Somalia, as an "independent and sovereign state," according to a statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This makes it the first country to recognize this semi-desert territory, roughly the size of Nicaragua, with a population of 3.5 million, which declared its independence in 1991. Since then, no other country had recognized it as an independent nation. "This declaration is in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, signed at the initiative of President Trump," Netanyahu explained, referring to the agreements Israel signed in 2020 with US mediation to normalize diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Later, two other countries, Sudan and Morocco, also joined the agreement.

Other leaders, however, believe that the Israeli prime minister's diplomatic move has another objective: to relocate Palestinians expelled from the Gaza Strip to Somaliland. In fact, several US media outlets reported months ago that the United States and Israel had contacted three East African governments, including that of Somaliland, as possible destinations for resettling the population of the Strip.

The President of Somaliland, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, called the Israeli Prime Minister's decision a "historic moment" and expressed his willingness to join the Abraham Accords. However, the Somali government has made it clear that it "categorically and unequivocally rejects the deliberate attack on its sovereignty and Israel's illegal action." "The Somaliland region is an integral, inseparable, and inalienable part of the sovereign territory of the Somali Republic," it reiterated. In fact, the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, spoke with several African leaders on Saturday to express his rejection of Israel's decision. For example, he spoke with his counterparts in Kenya, William Ruto; Uganda, Yoweri Museveni; Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan; and Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh. Condemnation from multiple countries

Many other countries have also condemned Israel's decision, including China, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Venezuela. The UN Security Council will hold an emergency session on Monday to discuss Israel's recognition of the Republic of Somaliland, according to Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon. The meeting was requested by Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar first met with representatives of the Somaliland president last March, and several secret visits by senior officials have taken place since then, according to US media reports. Meanwhile, Netanyahu is scheduled to visit US President Donald Trump on Monday to discuss the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire plan in Gaza, which includes the disarmament of Hamas and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave. Somaliland, which was a British protectorate until 1960, is not internationally recognized, although it has its own constitution, currency, and government, and even enjoys better economic development and greater political stability than the rest of Somalia. The region declared its separation from Somalia, the former Italian colony, in 1991, when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown. In recent decades, Somalia and Somaliland have unsuccessfully pursued several attempts at dialogue regarding the region's independence. Somalia has been in a state of conflict and chaos since Barre's overthrow. The country was then left without an effective government and in the hands of Islamist militias, such as Al-Shabaab.