It is a decision that ignites a large part of Africa. On Friday, December 26, Israel became the first country in the world to recognize Somaliland, a territory located at the northwest tip of Somalia, as an “independent and sovereign” state. About the size of Tunisia, this self-proclaimed republic unilaterally declared its independence in 1991, and has since operated autonomously, with its own currency, army and police. Until now, it was not officially recognized by any country, which kept it in a certain political and economic isolation despite its location at the entrance to the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, on one of the busiest trade routes in the world linking the Indian Ocean to the Suez Canal.
Very quickly, Somalia condemned a “deliberate attack on its sovereignty”, believing that this recognition by Israel exacerbated “political and security tensions in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the Middle East and the region at large”, warned the office of the Somali Prime Minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, in a press release.
A rain of condemnations
The Israeli announcement also provoked a chorus of condemnations in the region, notably from Djibouti, Egypt but also Turkey which denounced Israel’s “expansionist policy” and “obvious interference in the internal affairs of Somalia”. The Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry expressed concern about this announcement of recognition, saying that Israel had “already mentioned Somaliland as a destination for the expulsion of representatives of the Palestinian people, in particular from the Gaza Strip.” On this subject, Somalia reaffirmed its “unwavering” support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, “in particular their right to self-determination and their categorical rejection of occupation and forced displacement.” “In this regard, Somalia will never agree to make the Palestinian people stateless,” Mogadishu added.
Questioned by the New York Post on possible American recognition, Donald Trump for his part simply replied “no”, before qualifying: “We will study that”, then concluding: “Are there really people who know what Somaliland is?”
Securing access to the Red Sea
What fly has stung Israel? According to a July note from the American think-tank Atlantic Council, strengthening ties with Somaliland would indeed allow Israel to “secure its access to the Red Sea” to facilitate its fight against the Houthi rebels of Yemen – supporters of Hamas who have carried out several attacks against commercial ships and military targets – “and to counterbalance the regional influence of rival powers, while consolidating the presence of its allies”. “To those who scoff at why Israel would engage in Somaliland: look at the map. Somaliland is located on the Gulf of Aden, near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic crossing point for global trade and energy. Across the gulf, the Iran-backed Houthis are bombing Israel and its shipping. Somaliland offers stability, ports, access to intelligence and a non-Iranian platform on the sea Red,” commented Mark Dubowitz, director general of the think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, quoted by Bloomberg.
After this announcement, Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of a “great opportunity to expand” a partnership between the two countries, particularly in the economic and agricultural fields. A “joint and mutual” declaration was signed by both sides and Somaliland expressed its intention to rejoin the Abraham Accords, a process which by 2020 had seen several Arab countries normalize relations with Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Friday that the two countries would establish “full diplomatic relations, with the appointment of ambassadors and the opening of embassies,” and the president of Somaliland was invited to Israel.
