Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar visited Somaliland, the breakaway region of Somalia, this Tuesday, two sources told Reuters, 10 days after Israel formally recognised the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent state.

One of the sources, a senior Somaliland official, said Saar would meet Somaliland’s President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi to discuss ways to enhance bilateral ties. The second source confirmed the Israeli minister’s presence in Somaliland.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Saar was in Somaliland.

Israel formally recognised Somaliland as a sovereign state on December 27, a move that drew criticism from Somalia, which has long opposed Somaliland’s efforts to secede. No other country has formally recognised Somaliland.

At the time, Abdullahi said Somaliland would join the Abraham Accords, a deal brokered by the Trump administration in 2020 that saw Gulf states the United Arab Emirates, a close partner of Somaliland  and Bahrain establish ties with Israel.

Somaliland, once a British protectorate, has for decades sought formal recognition as an independent state, though it has signed bilateral agreements with various foreign governments on investments and security coordination.

The territory lies in northwestern Somalia along the strategic Gulf of Aden and shares land borders with Ethiopia and Djibouti.
Israel’s decision to recognise Somaliland follows two years of increasingly strained ties with many of its closest partners over the war in Gaza and policies in the West Bank.

–Reuters–