Only Israel recognizes Somaliland. Why?

It declared independence more than 30 years ago, but has only now been recognized as a state: by Israel. Somaliland is on valuable territory and has a bloody history — but it is also held up as an example of democracy in the disputed Horn of Africa region.

Semi-desert territory, approximately the size of Nicaragua, Somaliland declared its independence in 1991. More than 34 years after that turbulent declaration, it had not yet been recognized as a state by any other nation — until now. Everything changed on Friday when it became the first country to formally recognize it as an independent country.

Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement as a “historic moment”. But the decision was condemned by a good number of world leadersincluding the Foreign Ministers of Somalia, Egypt, Turkey and Djibouti who, in a statement, stated their “total rejection” of the Israeli announcement.

The unprecedented recognition could encourage other nations to follow suit, strengthening the separatist region’s diplomatic position and its access to international markets.

Why Israel is interested

The 137,600 km² territory, home to around 3.5 million people, is considered a true anomaly in the Horn of Africa.

Located between Ethiopia and Somalia — the state of which it is officially part — Somaliland is valuable territory. It is strategically located close to the “Gate of Tears”, the strait through which a third of the world’s maritime transport passes. The territory is vital for maritime security in the volatile region, warns.

Furthermore, according to , the announced agreement was accompanied by Somaliland’s commitment to join the Abraham Accords, something that Israel can read as political reinforcement of a regional architecture that is trying to expand in the Red Sea.

The origins of Somaliland

It was a British protectorate until its independence, on June 26, 1960. But this autonomy — which at the time had already been recognized by Israel — It was short-lived: five days later, it merged with Italian Somalilandalso newly independent. It was a union that many Somalilanders regretted as soon as it was completed.

Differences with southern neighbors began almost immediately, after Parliament approved the law that founded the Republic of Somalia. On July 20, 1961, one year after the creation of the new State, a referendum was held to draft a new Constitution. Despite widespread rejection by Somalilanders, the text was approved, becoming the constitution of the young republic. And, less than a decade later, the country collapsed.

In 1967, Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was elected president and appointed Somali Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal as prime minister. But, two years later, the president was assassinated by his bodyguardin a coup led by General Mohamed Siad Barre, who took power.

Thus, Somalia became the Somali Democratic Republic.

“I will leave buildings, but not people”

Siad Barre’s de facto government has worsened discontent in Somaliland and fueled the desire among many Somalilanders to follow a different path. The controversial Marxist-Leninist military officer provoked discontent not only in Somaliland, but throughout the country, and this triggered a revolution.

“When I leave Somalia, I will leave buildings, but not people,” Barre promised in the late 1980s.

A report commissioned by the United Nations and published at the beginning of this century determined that “the crime of genocide was conceived, planned and perpetrated” by the Somali government against the Isaaq people in northern Somalia between 1987 and 1989. During that period, the Somali air force carried out large-scale bombings against Hargeisa, the capital of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland, killing thousands of civilians and partially destroying the city.

After several years of bloody conflict, in 1991 Siad Barre was deposed, which led to a civil war.

Lack of international recognition

The end of the military regime also led Somaliland to unilaterally declare its independence. At that time, it was — and continues to be — an oasis of relative calm in one of the most turbulent regions in the world.

More than three decades later, Somaliland works almost like an independent countrybut without being so, at least officially. It has its own political system, parliament, police force, flag, currency and issues its own passports.

The lack of international support was worsened by the diplomatic crisis with Somalia, following the agreement signed in January 2024 between Ethiopia and Somalilandwhich granted Addis Ababa (the capital of Ethiopia) access to the sea through the port of Berbera and paved the way for eventual recognition. Mogadishu (Somalia’s capital and seat of the federal government) denounced the agreement as a violation of its sovereigntyconsidering Somaliland an inseparable part of Somalia.

Although Israel this week became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland as a sovereign nation, the rest of the international community does not recognize its independence, including the United Nations, the Arab League and the African Union.

Comparisons with Taiwan

The case of Somaliland is often compared to that of . Both appear to be fully functioning states and proudly declare their independence from their larger neighbors — Somalia and China — who insist that these rebel areas are part of their territories.

Recognizing this, Hargeisa (capital of Somaliland) and Taipei (capital of Taiwan) strengthened their relationship and officially established diplomatic ties in 2020provoking the anger of neighbors.

The Taiwanese representative in Somaliland, Allen Chenhwa Lou, described the relationship between the two territories as “win-win”in an interview with the BBC last month.

“We don’t need to seek independence now because we are already independent. What we both need is recognition. We share this difficult situation”, he added.

Oasis of stability

Besides the political issue and institutional independence, Somaliland is much more stable than the rest of Somalia. It is considered by experts to be a example of democracy in the region. Its leaders come to power through disputed elections, the results of which, unlike what happens in other African countries, are respected, even when the opposition wins. And, despite being a city with widespread poverty and a very high unemployment rate, Hargeisa is one of the safest cities in the region.

As BBC journalist Mary Harper said in 2016, on the 25th anniversary of the territory’s declaration of independence: “Somaliland has relative peace and stability.”

“Sometimes I travel between Somalia and Somaliland on the same day, and the contrast couldn’t be greater. In Somalia, as a Western journalist, I can’t move without six heavily armed bodyguards (…). In Somaliland, I walk alone, even at night,” she said.

Somali journalist Farhan Jimale explains that this relative peace is due to Somaliland’s efforts since the 1990s: “There were local elders who acted as mediators. They brought together all the local communities and formed a power-sharing local government.”

Somalia’s vision

Somalia considers Somaliland to be an integral part of the country. Over the past 10 years, Hargeisa and Mogadishu have held peace negotiations, but for Somalia, the country’s integrity is non-negotiable, underlines Jimale. “However, it recognizes Somaliland as a region that has developed its local authorities”, he continues.

In recent years, although the Somali federal government has managed to consolidate its control in Mogadishu and other major cities, Islamist groups such as the Al-Shabaab — which has already guaranteed that it will fight against any Israeli presence in Somaliland, following Israeli recognition of the territory — continue to be an active threat and have regained influence in several areas of the country. If Somalia achieves peace, it will have less reason to recognize Somaliland’s independence.

“The main argument of Somaliland separatists is that Somalia needs to get its house in order before both sides can sit down to talk,” highlights Jimale. However, if the country continues to be plunged into a serious security crisis, the fight for independence will not cease.

In any case, the final decision on Somaliland’s independence will probably have to come from Mogadishu, as happened with its neighbor’s secession, which the Sudanese government ended up accepting after a referendum.

“Provocative”, “unacceptable”, “threat”. The reactions

The European Union has called for the territorial integrity of Somalia to be respected, which it considers fundamental for the peace and stability of the entire Horn of Africa region”said EU Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Anouar El Anouni.

The secretary general of Arab League stated that recognition is a “provocative and unacceptable” measure that could “undermine regional stability”. It is “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”, said Ahmed Abulgheit: “it amounts to an Israeli attack on the sovereignty of an Arab and African State”.

The office of the Prime Minister of Somalia 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”. “Somalia will never accept making the Palestinian people stateless”, stressed Hamza Abdi Barre.

The Embassy of China in Somalia stated that its ambassador, Wang Yu, had an “urgent conversation” with the Somali Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdisalam Ali, highlighting Beijing’s “firm support for Somalia’s sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity”.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Palestine stated, in turn, that Israeli recognition “belittles Somalia’s sovereignty” and warned that Israel may be trying to find a destination to expel the Palestiniansrecalling the secret conversations with African authorities about the displacement of the Gaza population.

The Islamist group Hamas classified the recognition of Somaliland as a “dangerous precedent” and a “desperate attempt by a fascist entity that occupies Palestinian territory, to obtain false legitimacy”, accusing Israel of international isolation, due to the crimes committed in Gaza, and reaffirming its total rejection of any plan for forced resettlement of Palestinians, including in Somaliland.