Last Friday, Israel became the first country with a reserved seat at the UN to recognize the independence of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland, a separatist region of Somalia that has operated as an autonomous entity since the fall of the military regime of They barre in 1991. A year marked by the beginning of the civil war that tore the country in the Horn of Africa apart.
Recognition between Israel and Somaliland will be full. There will be the opening of embassies, diplomats coming and going, cooperation agreements. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahuassured that the decision to support Somaliland’s right to self-determination shares “the spirit” of the Abraham Accords.
Appeal to the pact signed with Israel by the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan – the first Arab and Islamic countries to normalize their diplomatic relations with the Jewish State – during the first term of Donald Trump It is the way to justify a risky move that, as the Israeli Foreign Minister recognized, Gideon Sa’arhas been incubating for a year.
During the telematic conversation held with the president of the secessionist enclave, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi IrroNetanyahu recognized his leadership and invited him to visit Israel. “I will be happy to be in Jerusalem as soon as possible,” replied Abdullahi, who confirmed that Somaliland will join the Abraham Accords.
The announcement did not sit well in Mogadishu, of course. The Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamuddenounced the “illegal aggression” against its sovereignty. The diplomatic movement, Mohamud insisted, goes against “established legal and diplomatic norms.”
Netanyahu says he intends to cooperate with Somaliland on agriculture, health, technology and the economy. But their real interests are other. Perhaps move the Palestinians from Gaza there, promote the “voluntary relocation” of the inhabitants of an enclave reduced to ashes after two years of war, as the agency announced last March Associated Press.
Occupying positions in the Horn of Africa and approaching the Strait of Bab el Mandeb, from where it can refine its attacks against the Houthi rebels of Yemen, is another objective, as is countering the privileged position that both Iran and Turkey occupy in the waters of the Red Sea. Recep Tayyip Erdogana close ally of Somalia.
The Yemeni insurgents, in fact, threatened to consider the Somali separatist region as a “military objective” after learning of the agreement. Israel is not, however, the first actor to arrive in Somaliland. The Emirates operates a military base in the town of Berbera, on the shores of the Gulf of Aden. Landlocked Ethiopia also has some interests vested in this semi-desert territory.
Path to recognition
Somaliland achieved on Friday a goal it had been seeking for 34 years. Patience may have a reward because, in addition, Israel’s support in some way brings recognition from the United States. “It is a matter of time. Not if, but when and who will lead the recognition of Somaliland,” Abdullahi boasted in statements to Guardian.
Trump’s reaction to Israel’s announcement did not fuel optimism in Hargeisa, however. “Does anyone really know what Somaliland is?” the Republican president declared contemptuously in an interview with the New York Post published last Friday.
The United States’ position is complex. Washington has troops deployed in Somalia to combat Al Shabaab Islamist insurgents. What’s more, its troops have launched around 125 air strikes in the last twelve months to contain the jihadist advance.
At the same time, as stated in the Project 2025 document of the think tank conservative Heritage Foundation, which guides the Trump Administration’s domestic and foreign actions, Somaliland can be a kind of “safeguard against the deteriorating position of the United States in Djibouti,” a neighboring country where China’s influence is increasing.
It is true, in any case, that Somaliland’s goal of occupying a seat in the United Nations is a little closer. This Monday, in fact, the UN Security Council held an extraordinary meeting to debate the recognition of Somaliland as an independent State by Israel.
China confirmed its disapproval. “No country should encourage or support the internal separatist forces of other countries for its own selfish interests,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson alleged on Monday. Lin Jian. South Africa also urged the international community to reject “this external interference and support a united and stable Somalia.”
The African Union wanted to make it clear, through its spokesperson, Mahamoud Ali Youssoufthat Somaliland “remains an integral part of the Federal Republic of Somalia.”
Fracture
There are important differences between Somaliland and Somalia, merged as a single State in 1960. These are historical reasons that support the distancing. For starters, Somaliland is a former British protectorate. Somalia suffered, however, Italian colonization.
Somaliland has had its own Constitution since 2001, which marked the transition via referendum from a power-sharing agreement between the main clans – a scheme similar to that occurring in the rest of Somalia – to a multi-party democracy. The separatist region enjoys a democratic and functional political system – transitions of power have been orderly – institutions and security forces, as well as its own currency and passport.
It is true, however, that elections have often been postponed and civil liberties are subject to certain restrictions. “Journalists and other public figures have been under pressure from the authorities,” reports Freedom House. “Minority clans are subject to political and economic marginalization, and violence against women remains a serious problem,” concludes the think tank based in Washington.
Besieged by jihadist violence linked to Al Qaeda, Somalia has not been a functional state for decades. Specifically, since the overthrow of Siad Barre that precipitated the secession of Somaliland.