Israeli foreign minister in Somaliland for first official visit

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar arrived in Somaliland on Tuesday morning on the first official visit since Israel recognised the sovereignty of the breakaway region of Somalia.

Saar was pictured meeting Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi. 

Saar and Abdirahman are scheduled to hold a joint news conference at the presidential palace in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, later in the day.

The diplomatic source told Israeli outlet i24 News that Saar’s visit is aimed at advancing meaningful political and strategic cooperation between Israel and Somaliland. 

Israel’s foreign ministry is yet to make any official comment on the trip.

On 26 December, Israel became the first country in the world to formally recognise Somaliland, an autonomous region of Somalia and a former British protectorate. 

In the wake of the announcement, protests erupted in Somaliland, with videos showing people on the streets of Boroma, about 50km west of Hargeisa, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Free, free Palestine”. 

Before Israel’s recognition, there had been reports that Somaliland was considering allowing the establishment of an Israeli base on its soil in exchange for recognition and investments.

In July, an Atlantic Council article made the case for Israel-Somaliland recognition, arguing that “for both Israel and the United States, Somaliland presents an opportunity for strategic collaboration”.

“With nearly a third of global shipping passing through this corridor, threats from piracy, weapon smuggling, and terrorist groups like al-Shabab and the Houthis have drawn international concern,” former Israeli military intelligence researcher Amit Yarom wrote. 

Social media accounts linked to the United Arab Emirates have reported that Abu Dhabi, along with India, Ethiopia and Kenya, is set to follow Israel and officially recognise Somaliland. 

An Indian government adviser told Middle East Eye that India had "no plans to recognise" Somaliland.

UAE base in Somaliland

In 2017, Somaliland agreed to allow the UAE to set up a military base at the port of Berbera, from which it could fight the Houthis as part of Yemen’s civil war.

Initially, there were reports that the UAE had cancelled its agreement with Somaliland, but recent satellite images reveal advanced infrastructure, including a modern military port, a deep-water dock and a dock capable of receiving large naval vessels.

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Berbera is part of a string of UAE bases that form a ring round the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, through which about a third of global shopping passes. The bases have been set up with support from Israel and the US.

Berbera has previously been used as a staging post to send Sudanese fighters to Yemen.

In March this year, Somaliland rejected an attempt by Somalia’s central government in Mogadishu to give the US exclusive control of the port and airbase at Berbera.

But at the end of July, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi announced that he had changed his mind, saying his administration was prepared to host a US military base at Berbera and offer access to valuable mineral resources, including lithium, as part of a broader strategy to gain international recognition.