In the heart of Hargeisa, thousands took to the streets peacefully on 26 December after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he was formally recognising Somaliland as an independent country.
Unlike southern Somalia, Somaliland has enjoyed relative stability since the collapse of Somalia’s central government in 1991.
Following its declaration of independence from Somalia that year, Hargeisa has conducted direct elections, established its own currency, and built its own military and other state institutions.
However, that stability now faces dangerous uncertainty.
Israel’s decision has drawn immediate attention from both local and regional actors, including the armed group al-Shabab, which has vowed to resist any Israeli presence in Somaliland.
