Israeli occupation prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday the official recognition of the “Republic of Somaliland” as an independent and sovereign state, in exchange for its normalisation within what has become known as the “Abraham Accords.”
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement: “Prime Minister Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and the president of the Republic of Somaliland signed a mutual joint declaration. This declaration comes in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, which were signed at the initiative of President Trump.”
The statement added: “Prime Minister Netanyahu congratulated the president of Somaliland, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, praised his leadership and commitment to promoting stability and peace, and invited the president to make an official visit to Israel.”
For his part, Abdullahi described the declaration as “historic,” expressing his thanks to Foreign Minister Sa’ar, Mossad director Dedi Barnea, and the Mossad “for their contribution to this development.” He indicated that cooperation between the two sides would begin in the fields of agriculture, health, technology, and the economy.
In the 1990s, the northern part of Somalia, which had previously been under British colonial rule, unilaterally declared independence, leading to the establishment of the “Republic of Somaliland.” The entity did not receive recognition from any state or international organisation before the Israeli occupation moved to recognise it in exchange for Somaliland’s engagement in normalisation.
It is noteworthy that the United Arab Emirates, which is linked to a normalisation agreement with the Israeli occupation, has maintained a military base since 2017 at Berbera airport in “Somaliland” and has been permitted to remain there for a period of thirty years. Berbera is located less than 300 kilometres south of Yemen.
The relationship between the UAE and the Israeli occupation, and Abu Dhabi’s signing of a normalisation agreement with it in 2020, raise questions about the Emirati role in the new arrangement between “Israel” and “Somaliland,” particularly given the very close ties between the latter and Abu Dhabi.
The Somali government rejects recognition of the Somaliland region as an independent state, considers it an integral part of the territory of the Republic of Somalia, and views any deal or direct engagement with it as an assault on the country’s sovereignty and unity.
