Israel recognized Somaliland, the UN Security Council convenes an emergency meeting

Somaliland, a de facto independent entity in the Horn of Africa, has taken a sharp and symbolically strong step towards international legitimacy. On Friday, Israel announced the official recognition of the Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, becoming the first and so far the only country to do so publicly and at the state level.

The decision was formalized by a declaration signed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi. The document directly links bilateral relations with the logic of the Abraham Accords and sets a new diplomatic vector in the region.

Somaliland is not recognized by most countries in the world.
The United Kingdom and Turkey still formally support the territorial integrity of Somalia, despite the fact that the central government of Somalia has not controlled a significant part of the territory for decades. As noted by The Times of Israel, this duality makes the situation around Somaliland one of the most complex in modern African geopolitics.

The US administration in recent months has cautiously signaled a possible reassessment of its position.
This concerns a state that separated from Somalia in 1991 after a war for independence and emerged on the territory of the former British protectorate. The British institutional legacy played a key role: Somaliland built functioning government bodies, a regular army, and a relatively stable political system — a rarity for the region.

The reaction of neighbors and international structures was sharp.
A number of regional powers accused Israel of undermining Somalia’s sovereignty. In response, Netanyahu, in a phone conversation with Abdullahi, emphasized the historical friendliness of contacts and expressed an intention to develop economic and social cooperation.

The UN Security Council announced plans to hold an emergency meeting on December 29.
The European Union expressed concern and called for dialogue between Somaliland and the federal authorities of Somalia, reminding of the principles of territorial integrity. Brussels did not assess the fact of Israeli recognition itself, limiting itself to a procedural formula.

Behind diplomacy lies a harsh security reality.
Somaliland controls a territory with a population of about six million people and has regular armed forces numbering over 100,000 servicemen. The armament includes tanks (including T-55 and T-72), artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, mortars, and coast guard forces. A key factor is considered to be the personnel training system, largely inherited from the British military tradition.

Unlike neighboring entities, Somaliland looks like a functioning state.
On the regional map, it stands out as a relatively stable zone against the backdrop of fragmented Somalia, where autonomies like Puntland coexist with territories controlled by jihadist groups, including Al-Shabaab and structures affiliated with IS.

The political model also stands out from the regional context.
Somaliland is a democracy with a changeable government, maintaining contacts with the West and Taiwan. These ties are pragmatic in nature: exchange of visits, economic projects, diplomatic coordination. American delegations regularly visit the region, assessing it as a rare example of stability in the Horn of Africa.

For Israel, the recognition of Somaliland is not a situational gesture.
It is a strategic decision with a horizon of decades: access to the Red Sea, influence on security routes, potential military presence in the region, where new infrastructure and airfields are already being built. At the same time, Somaliland does not have its own aviation, which opens up space for asymmetric agreements.

The history of Somaliland is a case of a state that emerged not by declaration, but as a result of war and subsequent institutional building.
That is why Israeli recognition has become not just a diplomatic act, but a statement that stability, security, and functioning institutions can outweigh formal consensus. This development is closely monitored by NAnews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency, recording how the map of recognitions and alliances is changing in one of the most sensitive regions of the world.