Israel receives the president of Somaliland after recognizing the independence of the Somali state

The president of Somaliland, Abdirraman Mohamed Abdulahi, arrived in Israel this Sunday on a historic visit that occurs after the Hebrew Government announced in December last year the recognition of the independence of the Somali state in a decision repudiated by the Government of Somalia and African regional organizations.

Abdulahi has been received with state honors by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, in a visit that “symbolizes the enormous potential of the new alliance between our two nations,” according to the latter in a message published on social networks.

During his visit, accompanied by his wife, First Lady Fardowsa Mohamed Roble, the president of Somaliland will inaugurate the embassy in Jerusalem and will host a series of government meetings aimed at expanding cooperation in security, trade, water technology, renewable energy and regional development.

Somaliland, which has lacked official recognition since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991, functions ‘de facto’ as an independent administrative, political and security entity.

The Israeli recognition in December has an enormous geostrategic component, as Israeli experts recalled at the time, because the coast and territory of Somaliland are located about 300 to 500 kilometers from the positions of one of Israel’s great regional enemies, the Houthi insurgency in Yemen.

This past Saturday, the Somali president, Hasan Sheikh Mohamud, again denounced the recognition maneuver for the umpteenth time and accused the Israeli Government of exploiting historical disputes between Mogadishu and the separatist region. “Tel Aviv is taking advantage of the old dispute between Mogadishu and Hargeisa,” lamented the president in an interview with the local channel Dawan TV, in the Somali capital.