JUST IN: Somaliland president to make historic visit to Israel amid deepening diplomatic ties

Africa

HARGEISA, Somaliland (NPA) — Somaliland President, H.E. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, is set to embark on a historic official visit to Israel on June 14, marking a significant milestone in the growing diplomatic relationship between the State of Israel and the Republic of Somaliland.

The visit follows an invitation extended by Israeli authorities and comes amid expanding political and diplomatic engagement between the two sides.

According to the official itinerary, President Abdullahi will visit the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem, where he will be received by the Chairman of Yad Vashem, Dani Dayan.

During the visit, the Somaliland leader is expected to tour key memorial sites within the Holocaust museum complex and participate in a special ceremony honouring victims of the Holocaust.

The trip is widely seen as another step in Somaliland’s efforts to strengthen international partnerships and expand its diplomatic footprint despite its continued quest for broader international recognition.

The development comes months after Somaliland opened an embassy in Jerusalem, a move that drew sharp criticism from several Arab and Islamic countries.

Despite the criticism, Somaliland authorities have continued to defend the move as part of their sovereign foreign policy agenda.

Newpost Africa reports that, in a statement during the 35th anniversary of Somaliland’s restoration of sovereignty, Presidential Spokesperson Hussein Deyr reiterated the government’s commitment to independence and international recognition.

According to Deyr, Somaliland’s sovereignty remains a non-negotiable aspiration shared by its people.

“Somaliland’s sovereignty is not merely a political aspiration, but a deeply held national conviction shared collectively by its people,” he said.

The spokesperson also described recent diplomatic developments with Israel as a landmark achievement in Somaliland’s international engagement strategy.

“This year’s commemoration also coincided with a major diplomatic milestone, as the President of the State of Israel received the credentials of Somaliland’s first Extraordinary Ambassador accredited to a recognised sovereign state; a powerful symbol of Somaliland’s expanding global engagement and irreversible march toward international recognition,” the statement said.

The forthcoming visit is expected to further strengthen relations between Israel and Somaliland and could have wider implications for Somaliland’s ongoing campaign for international recognition as an independent state.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has maintained its own government, security institutions, and democratic processes for more than three decades, although it has yet to receive formal recognition from the international community.