Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar visits Somaliland for the first time following Israel’s historic recognition on December 26, 2025, announcing embassies and cooperation on security, trade, and development as Somalia and the African Union condemn the move.
HARGEISA, Somaliland — Less than two weeks after Israel upended decades of diplomatic convention by formally recognizing Somaliland as an independent state, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar arrived Tuesday in country’s capital for what both sides described as a foundational diplomatic visit — one that cements a new bilateral relationship.
Sa’ar’s discreet arrival in Hargeisa marked the first official visit by a foreign minister since Somaliland restored independence in 1991, following the collapse of the Somali state. The visit followed Israel’s December 26, 2025 recognition of Somaliland, making it the first country to formally acknowledge the territory as a sovereign state.
“This is a great privilege,” Sa’ar said, calling the trip “the first official diplomatic visit to Somaliland” and a signal of Israel’s determination to “vigorously advance relations between Israel and Somaliland.”
The meetings, held at the presidential palace in Hargeisa, brought together Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Irro), senior cabinet ministers, parliamentary leaders, and Sa’ar’s high-level delegation. According to officials from both governments, the talks focused on the immediate establishment of mutual embassies and broad cooperation in security, trade, water management, health, agriculture, and technology.
President Irro described Israel’s recognition as a watershed moment in Somaliland’s long quest for international legitimacy.
“Today, at the Presidential Palace, I received H.E. Mr. Gideon Sa’ar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel, on an official visit to the Republic of Somaliland — the first such visit by a foreign minister in 34 years after recognition,” Irro wrote in a statement posted on X. “I conveyed my deep appreciation to the Government of Israel for its historic and courageous decision of 26 December 2025 to formally recognize the Republic of Somaliland.”
“This milestone,” he added, “opens a new chapter of formal diplomatic relations, security, economic, and development cooperation, serving the mutual interests of both nations and contributing positively to peace and stability in the Horn of Africa.”
Sa’ar, for his part, underscored that Israel intends to move swiftly from symbolism to substance. He said Israel would “soon” open an embassy in Somaliland and confirmed that President Irro had accepted an invitation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make an official visit to Israel.
“The mutual recognition and establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries are not directed against anyone,” Sa’ar said. “Our shared objective is to promote the mutual benefit of both nations and countries.”
He was more blunt when addressing criticism. “We hear the attacks, the criticism, the condemnations,” Sa’ar said. “Nobody will determine for Israel who we recognize and who we maintain diplomatic relations with. Only Israel will decide.”
Somalia’s Fury and Regional Backlash
The visit provoked an immediate and angry response from Somalia’s federal government, which continues to claim sovereignty over Somaliland despite having exercised no effective control there for more than three decades.
In a sharply worded statement, Somalia’s foreign ministry condemned Sa’ar’s presence in Hargeisa as an “unauthorized incursion” and “an unacceptable interference in the internal affairs” of Somalia. The ministry said Mogadishu “reserves the right to take all appropriate diplomatic and legal measures… to safeguard its sovereignty, national unity, and territorial integrity.”
The African Union echoed Somalia’s position, with its Peace and Security Council calling on Israel to revoke its recognition and reiterating that Somaliland “remains an integral part” of Somalia. Turkey and Egypt — both influential regional actors — also criticized Israel’s move, warning that it could destabilize the Horn of Africa and embolden separatist movements elsewhere on the continent.
Security was tight throughout Sa’ar’s short stay. Islamist militant group al-Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency against Somalia’s government for nearly two decades, warned it would resist any Israeli presence in Somaliland. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show fighter jets flying over Hargeisa, though officials declined to confirm which country they belonged to.
Strategic Geography, Strategic Stakes
Beyond the diplomatic symbolism, Israel’s engagement with Somaliland is widely seen as driven by hard strategic calculations. Somaliland sits astride the Gulf of Aden, near the Bab el-Mandeb strait — a critical maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Across the waterway lies Yemen, where Israel has been confronting Iran-backed Houthi forces that have launched missiles and drones toward Israeli territory since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
Berbera, Somaliland’s deep-water port, has long been viewed by Western and regional powers as a potential logistical and security hub in a volatile corridor of global trade.
“Israeli engagement is probably driven by Somaliland’s strategic location,” said Omar Mahmood, a Somalia analyst at the International Crisis Group. He added, however, that security cooperation did not necessarily require Israeli military installations on Somaliland soil.
Both governments have publicly denied that recognition paves the way for Israeli bases or for the resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza — an idea floated by some Israeli officials as “voluntary migration” but rejected by Somaliland authorities.
A Partnership Somaliland Has Sought for Decades
For Somaliland, Israel’s recognition and Sa’ar’s visit represent the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since it restored its independence from British colonial rule in 1960 and later withdrew from its failed union with Somalia.
With a population of more than six million, Somaliland has built its own currency, military, courts, and electoral system, holding multiple competitive elections that contrast sharply with Somalia’s prolonged instability. Yet no United Nations member state recognized it until Israel’s December decision.
“The decision affirms Somaliland’s established democratic record and internal stability,” the Somaliland presidency said in an official statement, adding that it “firmly positions the Republic as a key contributor to peace and security in the Horn of Africa and beyond.”
Somaliland’s Foreign Minister Abdirahman Dahir Adam called Sa’ar’s trip “the first by a foreign minister to Somaliland in 34 years” and said it marked “the beginning of a promising partnership grounded in mutual respect, shared values, and common goals for peace and prosperity.”
Presidency Minister Khadar Hussein Abdi was more defiant toward Mogadishu. “Somalia’s false claims do not change the reality on the ground — this is our land and we govern it,” he said. “This relationship is intended to advance economic development, peace, and regional stability.”
Israel Presses Ahead
Israel’s government has framed recognition as both a moral and pragmatic choice. Sa’ar said recognizing Somaliland was “the moral thing to do,” pointing to its historical independence and decades-long record of self-governance.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, who signed a joint declaration with Somaliland’s leadership on December 26, said Israel plans to expand cooperation “immediately” in agriculture, health, technology, and the economy. Sa’ar added that Somaliland water-sector professionals would soon travel to Israel for training.
“This visit is also a message,” Sa’ar said in Hargeisa. “We are determined to vigorously advance relations between Israel and Somaliland.”
For Somaliland, the message carried equal weight. As Hussein Egge Deyr, the president’s spokesman, put it in a sweeping statement: “Recognition does not create reality. It acknowledges it.”
Whether Israel’s move will remain an outlier or trigger a broader reassessment of Somaliland’s status now looms as one of the most consequential diplomatic questions facing the Horn of Africa — and a test of how far international norms bend when geopolitical interests converge.
