Netanyahu says the recognition is in “the spirit of the Abraham Accords.” Arab countries reacted by saying that this was a “provocative and unacceptable” measure that could “undermine regional stability”
Israel is the first country to recognize the Republic of Somaliland as an independent state, more than three decades after the African region separated from Somalia. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar signed the declaration on behalf of Israel, while Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi signed on behalf of his country, which is located in a key strategic region in the Horn of Africa.
The Israeli government had already recognized Somaliland’s independence for the first time, in 1960, during the five days of existence of the so-called State of Somaliland. The current separatist state declared its independence in 1991 and, although it maintains certain diplomatic contacts with several countries around the world, no UN member country has recognized its existence as a state, until now.
According to the Times of Israel, Netanyahu told Abdullahi, in a telephone conversation, that the friendship between the countries is “seminal and historic”. “We intend to work together with you in the economic, agricultural and social development fields”, he stated. Netanyahu invited Abdullahi to an official visit to Israel. Abdullahi promised that he will move “as quickly as possible”.
Netanyahu also said that the declaration “is in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, signed at the initiative of the president [dos EUA] [Donald] Trump.” The 2020 agreements were brokered by the first Trump administration and included the formalization of Israel’s diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and with other countries, such as Morocco, which later joined.
Abdullahi said in a separate statement that Somaliland will adhere to the Abraham Accords, considering it a step towards regional and global peace. Abdullahi said Somaliland was committed to creating partnerships, boosting mutual prosperity and promoting stability in the Middle East and Africa.
Arab countries worried about rising political tensions in the region
The announcement of the recognition of Somaliland, this Friday, has already provoked reactions from several regional powers, who accuse Israel of calling into question the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia.
Somalia reacted in a joint statement with Egypt, Turkey and Djibouti, in which the foreign ministers of the four countries expressed their fear that this agreement with Somaliland is directly linked to the Gaza war and that the separatist Somali state could become the destination for forced and illegal displacement of the Palestinian people. “The parties emphasize their categorical rejection of any plan to move the Palestinian people outside their territory, which the vast majority of countries in the world categorically reject,” they added.
Also in a statement, the office of Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre condemned the “deliberate attack on its sovereignty” by Israel, considering that the recognition of Somaliland exacerbates “political and security tensions in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the Middle East and the region in general”.
The Somali government also reaffirmed its “unwavering” support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, “namely their right to self-determination, and their categorical rejection of the occupation and forced displacement”. “Somalia will never accept making the Palestinian people stateless,” he added. In August, several international media reported discussions between Israeli and Somaliland authorities to welcome Palestinians expelled from Gaza.
The secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Abulgheit, also stated that the recognition of Somaliland by the Israeli Government is a “provocative and unacceptable” measure that could “undermine regional stability”. Abulgheit highlighted that this was “a clear violation of the norms of International Law” and “a flagrant violation of the principle of the unity and sovereignty of States, which constitutes a fundamental pillar of the United Nations Charter and international relations”.
“This measure, adopted by an occupying power that daily commits serious violations against the Palestinian people and neighbors of the Palestinian territories, ignoring resolutions that have international legitimacy, amounts to an Israeli attack on the sovereignty of an Arab and African state,” he said in a statement published on social media. In this sense, the secretary general of the Arab League warned that the decision represents “an attempt to cooperate with third parties to undermine regional stability” in “total disregard” for the norms that govern International Law.
On the other hand, Gamal Roshdy, Abulgheit’s spokesman, recalled that the Somaliland region is “an integral part of the Federal Republic of Somalia”, a sovereign and internationally recognized country, so “any attempt to impose unilateral recognition constitutes unacceptable interference in the internal affairs” of that nation.
