OPINION: Africa must join Israel in recognizing the Republic of Somaliland

On December 26, 2025, the State of Israel formally recognised the Republic of Somaliland as a sovereign and independent nation. By doing so, Israel became the first country in more than three decades to do so.

This decision, rooted in realism, legitimacy, and the spirit of the Abraham Accords, is not merely a bilateral milestone. It is a signal to the international community, and particularly to Africa, that the time has come to rethink how recognition and sovereignty are understood in the 21st century.

Israel’s action is not without historical grounding. In 1960, when Somaliland briefly attained independence following British decolonization, Israel was among the earliest states to extend diplomatic recognition. That moment was later eclipsed by the ill-fated union with Somalia, a political experiment that failed the people of Somaliland and ultimately collapsed into violence. Today, Israel’s renewed recognition restores a relationship interrupted by history, reaffirmed now with clarity and courage.

This recognition is far more than symbolic. It acknowledges Somaliland’s thirty-four-year record of peace, democratic governance, and effective self-rule in one of the world’s most fragile regions. It affirms a simple but often ignored truth: sovereignty is not granted by convenience, but earned through the will of a people and sustained by the performance of a state.

As Israel leads, Africa must not remain hesitant. The African Union, and especially nations of East and the Horn of Africa, have both a moral responsibility and a strategic interest in following this example. For too long, the continent has been constrained by rigid interpretations of territorial integrity, even when those doctrines contradict political reality, governance outcomes, and the lived identities of our people.

Somaliland is not a breakaway entity. It is a state that voluntarily united with Somalia in 1960 and, after decades of marginalisation, repression, and civil war, lawfully reclaimed its independence in 1991. Since then, Somaliland has built functioning democratic institutions, conducted multiple peaceful elections, and maintained internal stability where chaos has prevailed around it. To continue ignoring this reality is to reward dysfunction and penalize success.

For African states, engagement with Somaliland offers tangible benefits. Somaliland is a reliable partner in regional security, counterterrorism cooperation, and maritime stability along some of the world’s most critical trade corridors. It presents significant investment opportunities in renewable energy, fisheries, logistics, and digital infrastructure. Perhaps most importantly, it stands as a rare example of democratic resilience in a region too often defined by authoritarianism and conflict.

At a moment when global powers are recalibrating their interests across the Red Sea and Indian Ocean corridors, Africa must assert its own agency. Recognising Somaliland is not an act of defiance; it is an act of leadership. It allows Africa to help shape its geopolitical future rather than passively responding to decisions made elsewhere.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s forthcoming visit to the White House is expected to further elevate Somaliland’s diplomatic visibility. But Africa need not wait for Washington. The African Union, IGAD, and individual states, from Kenya and Ethiopia to Rwanda and Ghana, can and should act independently, guided by African interests and African realities.

Recognition is not the conclusion of Somaliland’s journey. It is the opening of a new chapter—one in which Somaliland stands not in the shadows of ambiguity, but within the community of nations: equal, sovereign, and ready to contribute.

Let us not be the last to acknowledge what history, justice, and pragmatism already affirm. Let us lead, confidently and collectively, as Africans.

Dr Mohamed A. Omar is the Ambassador of the Republic of Somaliland in Kenya