ALBAWABA- Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Tuesday concluded a historic visit to Somaliland, the first by an Israeli official since Israel formally recognized the self-declared republic’s independence late last month.
The visit followed Israel’s decision on December 26, 2025, to recognize Somaliland, a move without precedent among UN member states.
Sa’ar, who traveled at the invitation of Somaliland President Abdirahman Irro, held talks on establishing full diplomatic relations and expanding political, economic, and security cooperation.
“It is a great privilege to conduct the first official diplomatic visit to Somaliland,” Sa’ar said in a post on X, stressing that Israel’s recognition was a sovereign decision “not directed against any third party.”
He described Somaliland as “not an artificial state,” drawing a pointed contrast with Palestine, and announced that President Irro had accepted an invitation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Israel.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 following the collapse of the central government and a devastating civil war.
Since then, it has operated as a de facto state with its own institutions, currency, and security forces, but had remained internationally unrecognized until Israel’s move.
Somalia strongly condemned the visit and recognition, calling them a violation of its sovereignty. The African Union and several Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, issued statements rejecting Israel’s decision and reaffirming support for Somalia’s territorial integrity.
The development has significant regional implications. Somaliland’s Berbera port sits along the Gulf of Aden near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital maritime chokepoint for global trade already under strain from Houthi attacks launched from Yemen.
Closer Israeli–Somaliland ties could enhance Israeli dominance on maritime passages, but also risk inflaming tensions with Somalia-aligned forces and Iran-backed groups.
The visit also intersects with Ethiopia’s January 2024 memorandum of understanding with Somaliland for sea access, a deal Somalia considers illegal and destabilizing. Competing regional interests could deepen proxy rivalries in the Horn of Africa.
