SYLLABUS

GS-2: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.

Context: Israel became the first country to formally recognize the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, more than three decades after Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991.

More on the News

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi signed a joint declaration of mutual recognition.

• Israel announced plans to pursue immediate cooperation with Somaliland in agriculture, health, technology, and the economy.

• President Abdullahi stated that Somaliland would join the Abraham Accords, describing the move as a step toward regional and global peace. 

• The recognition is consistent with strategic thinking reflected in Project 2025, published in 2023, which advocated recognizing Somaliland as a hedge against the United States’ deteriorating position in Djibouti, amid expanding Chinese influence there.

• While no other countries have formally recognized Somaliland, several states — including the UK, Ethiopia, Turkey, the UAE, Denmark, Kenya and Taiwan — maintain liaison or representative offices in the territory.

• The move has been criticized by the African Union, which warned that recognizing a breakaway region could have far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the African continent.

About Somaliland

• Somaliland, formally known as the Republic of Somaliland, is a self-declared republic located in the Horn of Africa. 

• It has a population of around 6.2 million, predominantly Sunni Muslim.

• Geographically, it controls the north-west tip of Somalia, operates a de facto state, and is bordered by Djibouti to the north-west and Ethiopia to the west and south, with access to the Red Sea coastline.

• Despite relative stability and functioning institutions, lack of international recognition has restricted Somaliland’s access to foreign loans, development aid, and international investment, contributing to persistent economic underdevelopment.