Analysis by Haaretz media
"Does anyone really know what Somaliland is?" US President Donald Trump told the New York Post over the weekend, after Israel became the first country in the world to recognize the self-proclaimed republic in East Africa.
Trump said the United States would not follow suit and that Washington should “study” the issue, at a time when a growing number of countries are rejecting Israel’s decision. More than 20 countries, mainly from the Middle East and Africa, described the recognition as an “unprecedented measure” that could undermine peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, with serious consequences for international peace.
The US State Department said it continues to recognize the territorial integrity of Somalia, “which includes the territory of Somaliland.” It remained unclear why Israel made the statement on Friday or whether it expected anything in return, while reports earlier this year suggested that Somaliland was being considered as a possible destination for Palestinians displaced from Gaza.
Somaliland is located near Djibouti, which hosts military bases for the United States, China, France and several other countries. It is also strategically positioned on the Gulf of Aden, facing Yemen and areas controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi movement.
So what do we know about Somaliland?
Somaliland is a small and remote state, without international recognition, which over the past year has become the scene of an explosive regional conflict, fraught with geopolitical interests.
This self-proclaimed republic, a territory ruled by the Muslim Issaq clan, seceded from its mother state, Somalia, in 1991 and declared independence without international guarantees. Since then, it has struggled to secure recognition from various countries, while simultaneously bracing itself against regional threats, primarily from Somalia, which is seeking to regain control of the territory.
International law recognizes Somaliland only as an autonomous district within Somalia, and until 2024, no state had recognized it as an independent country, except for Taiwan, itself an internationally unrecognized state.
This has major economic consequences. Somaliland cannot participate in international trade and cannot receive financial assistance from organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, forcing it to function as an autarkic economy. For this reason, one sector that thrives in the territory is maritime piracy.
The historical roots of the conflict
The demand for Somaliland's independence has its origins in the colonial era of Africa. In the late 19th century, Britain and Italy took control of the Somali region, creating British Somaliland, which corresponds to present-day Somaliland, as a protectorate.
During World War II, British forces occupied Italian Somaliland, then part of Mussolini's fascist Italy, uniting the two territories into a single state that functioned as a political unit within the British Empire.
In 1960, United Somaliland gained independence and the Republic of Somalia was established. The collapse of the central government in 1991 and a bloody civil war led to the secession of the territory of Somaliland from the mother country.
Unlike Somalia, which has faced devastating civil wars for decades and was for a period ruled by Islamist militias, mainly Al-Shabaab, Somaliland, with about 6.2 million inhabitants, has managed to maintain relative political stability.
"Ideal candidate" for cooperation with Israel
A 2024 report by the Israeli strategic studies institute Institute for National Security Studies said that “Somaliland could serve as a forward base for a range of missions: intelligence gathering and monitoring of the Houthis and building their military capabilities; logistical support for the internationally recognized government of Yemen in its fight against the Houthis; and direct operations, from offensive actions to interdicting Houthi attacks at sea or by UAV [drone].”
The report added that "Somaliland could become a key pillar of Israel's efforts to confront the Houthi threat."
Since the outbreak of war in Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7, the Houthis have fired hundreds of rockets and drones into Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea, prompting Israeli airstrikes in Yemen and the assassination of senior Houthi figures. These developments have significantly increased the strategic importance of the waters off the coast of Somaliland.
The report calls Somaliland an “ideal candidate for cooperation” in a future campaign against the Houthis, noting that it could offer Israel “potential access to an operational arena close to the conflict zone.”
The source also adds that, beyond security cooperation, ties with Somaliland also have economic and reputational value for Israel's national security, citing the minerals located in the territory and Israel's interest in building relations with Muslim populations in the region.
Destination for Palestinians displaced from Gaza?
In March, the Associated Press reported that Israeli officials said the US and Israel had contacted officials in three East African governments, including Somaliland, to discuss using their territories as potential destinations for Palestinians displaced from the Gaza Strip.
U.S. and Israeli officials confirmed contacts with Somalia and Somaliland, while the Americans also confirmed Sudan. They said it was unclear how much progress had been made or at what level the discussions had progressed. Officials from Somalia and Somaliland told the AP they were unaware of such contacts.
MAGA interest
The MAGA-linked American political initiative Project 2025, published by the conservative Heritage Foundation in 2022 and widely seen as a blueprint for Trump's second term, called for the US to recognize Somaliland "as a safeguard against the deterioration of the American position in Djibouti" and as a means of countering "malign Chinese activity" in Africa.
In August last year, US Senator Ted Cruz urged Trump in a letter to recognize Somaliland, highlighting its role in confronting China and US national security interests.
Interest of the United Arab Emirates
In October 2024, the pro-Qatari website Middle East Monitor reported that Israel had secretly approached Somaliland, located opposite the Yemeni city of Aden, with a proposal that would serve both sides: Israel would set up a military base in Somaliland to attack and deter Houthi targets, in exchange for official recognition of the country and financial investment.
According to the report, which is based on diplomatic sources, the United Arab Emirates is mediating between the two sides and has not only convinced Somaliland to allow the construction of the base, but will also finance it.
The UAE, a signatory to the 2020 Abraham Accords with Israel, has a direct interest in this agreement, as the Houthis have become a security threat to them as well, and Israeli forces in Somaliland would assist them in the fight against them.
In recent years, Somaliland has allowed the Emirates to use the port of Berbera and its airport as a base for military activities in Yemen, in exchange for a $440 million investment by the UAE in the port of Berbera, according to foreign media.
The Emirati mediation comes on the heels of their military cooperation with Israel, as the two countries have reportedly established a joint military-intelligence base on the Socotra archipelago, one of the most remote and ecologically rich islands in the world, located in the Gulf of Aden near Yemen.
