Israel Recognizes Somaliland: A New Chapter in Horn of Africa Diplomacy

Historic handshake in Hargeisa

When Somaliland’s Foreign Minister flew into Tel Aviv last week, only a handful of aides knew the meeting would end with a de-facto recognition that could redraw the map of the Horn of Africa. On Monday, Israel’s cabinet quietly approved a memorandum acknowledging Somaliland as a sovereign state, making it the first country outside Africa to do so since the territory declared independence from Somalia in 1991.

Why this matters now

Officials in Jerusalem frame the move as strategic: a chance to open a second African embassy on the Red Sea, monitor Iranian shipping lanes, and deepen economic ties with a breakaway republic that boasts the continent’s deepest commercial port. Critics warn it risks inflaming regional tensions and emboldening other secessionist movements.

“We are not choosing sides in Somalia’s civil war,” an Israeli diplomat told reporters. “We are choosing facts on the ground.”

Global ripple effects

• Ethiopia: Addis Ababa, which already operates a trade office in Hargeisa, is lobbying for a similar recognition.
• Egypt: Cairo fears the precedent could inspire separatists in Sinai.
• United States: State Department sources say Washington is “reviewing options,” anxious not to undermine its counter-terror partnership with Mogadishu.

Inside Somaliland’s celebrations

In the capital, drivers honked horns and wrapped their mirrors in the green-white-red national flag. Students painted murals of Israeli and Somaliland flags entwined, while telecom companies offered free data bundles branded “Thank You Israel.” Yet elders remember the civil war that cost tens of thousands of lives and worry recognition could provoke fresh clashes along the disputed border with Puntland.

What happens next

Israeli envoys are scheduled to open a “liaison office” in Hargeisa within 60 days, upgrading it to an embassy if no UN sanctions materialize. Somaliland hopes the move will unlock World Bank loans long blocked by Mogadishu’s objections. Somalia, for its part, recalled its ambassador to Tel Aviv and vowed to lobby Arab League states to suspend economic accords with Israel.