US EditionIsrael's Recognition of Breakaway Somaliland Brings Uproar and Threats to a Volatile Region
Israel's recognition of Somaliland aims to secure strategic Red Sea access and expand defense ties amid regional backlash and protests, officials said.
- On January 6, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar's visit led to Israel's recognition of Somaliland, sparking protests in Mogadishu on January 8 and condemnation from the African Union and Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
- Seeking to counter threats from Yemen, Israel aimed for a strategic foothold by recognizing Somaliland, whose Berbera port and location attract investors and military powers amid regional pressures, Somaliland official Abdirahman Dahir Adan said.
- Somaliland's foreign minister said specifics would follow the president's visit to Israel soon, with ties covering defense, trade, investment and technology in what Abdirahman Dahir Adan called a "mutually beneficial friendship," while the Israeli government described it as a "natural connection."
- On Monday, Somalia annulled its security ties with the United Arab Emirates, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said `Somali territory cannot be divided by a piece of paper written by Israel`, and al-Shabab and the Houthis issued threats.
- Analysts say the recognition positions Israel for exceptional geostrategic access, jeopardizing maritime security on the Red Sea maritime corridor where about $1 trillion of goods pass annually, with strong United States backing.
44 Articles
44 Articles
The thorny question of Israeli 'recognition' for Somaliland
In many ways, Somaliland is a success story. In a region blighted by western intervention, deliberate destabilisation, and a settler state occupying Palestine, Somaliland has emerged as an energetic and determined society, albeit without official recognition on the world stage since its unilateral declaration of independence in 1991. The Somali government in Mogadishu argues that this was an illegitimate secessionist movement and that a people s…
Israel’s recognition of breakaway Somaliland fuels the fires of regional conflict
Israel—and the UAE’s—efforts to secure recognition for Somaliland highlight and enflame the enormous geopolitical tensions in the Horn of Africa, a region that is already contending with multiple crises amid drought and famine.
FO° Talks: Israel Recognizing Somaliland Is About Turkey, Iran and the Future of Middle East
Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh and Josef Olmert, a former Israeli government official and Middle East scholar, discuss Israel’s official recognition of Somaliland, the self-declared republic that broke away from Somalia in 1991. Rather than treating the decision as a symbolic diplomatic gesture, this conversation situates it within a widening geopolitical contest stretching from the Horn of Africa to the eastern Mediterranean. Olmert argues that geo…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
