LONDON: For 34 years, the breakaway state of Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has wandered in the diplomatic wilderness, its claim to sovereignty unrecognized by the entire world.
All that changed on Dec. 26 with the surprise announcement by the Israeli government that it was establishing full diplomatic relations with the territory, which occupies a strategically sensitive position along the northern coast of the Horn of Africa, overlooking the Gulf of Aden and the mouth of the Red Sea.
On Dec. 28, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, took to Facebook to publish the declaration of recognition, signed by himself and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The recognition, it read, had been made “in light of the shared values, strategic interests, and the spirit of mutual respect that binds our people.”
The relationship, it added, “will contribute to advancing peace, stability, and prosperity in the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and beyond.”
