Top Israeli Minister jets into Somaliland, rubberstamps deal

Somaliland Mission in Kenya premises at Runda, Nairobi on May 29, 2025. [Boniface Okendo, Standard] After the recognition of Somaliland by Israel and this week's high-profile visit by the Jewish state's foreign minister, Gideon Saar, there has been tittle-tattle that more countries are angling to join in recognising the breakaway republic. Several nations, including India, were singled out as some of the nations that want to officially recognise Somaliland despite the hostility that has come with the Israeli move. Other nations included in the list were Abu Dhabi, Ethiopia and Kenya. While India moved with speed to deny the move, the other nations chose to either ignore the loaded reports or give them a wide berth. But the Israeli government followed its recognition agreement of Somaliland with a robust move, dispatching its top diplomat in the foreign minister Saar, to Hargeisa, even as Somalia mobilised its neighbours, the continent and the international world to reject the recognition. During his visit, Saar was pictured meeting Somaliland's president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, as he declared in an official statement that, "unlike 'Palestine', Somaliland is not a virtual state." Saar's visit was held amid a heavily guarded Hargeisa, with the foreign minister waxing lyrical praises to Somaliland, which he said was "pro-Western and friendly to Israel." The foreign minister used the visit to lay down the approach Israel would take in its relationship with Somaliland, saying the two nations would cooperate on strategic partnerships in the medical, defence, education and water sectors. It was also revealed during the visit that the Somaliland president had already accepted an invitation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make an official visit to Israel. Diplomatic sources indicated that Saar was scheduled to visit Berbera, a port that currently hosts an Emirati base and which is being considered by Israel for a similar purpose. The visit was condemned by Somalia, which accused Israel of violating Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Somali President went on the offensive, rejecting Israel's recognition of Somaliland, warning that the move threatens Somalia's unity and regional stability. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud also used the opportunity to renew his call for dialogue with the breakaway republic to resolve decades-old political grievances. Mohamud used the speech broadcast nationally to directly appeal to the people of Somaliland to ignore attempts to divide Somalia through Israel's unilateral action, describing the recognition of Somaliland as driven by its own strategic interests. The Somali president said the federal government, working with international partners, was taking measures to block what he called Israeli violations of Somalia's sovereignty. Mohamud used the speech to reflect on the fractious relationship between Somalia and the breakaway republic since 1991, when it declared independence, saying successive Somaliland administrations had failed to fully engage in dialogue with Mogadishu. He blamed Hargeisa for the failed talks to resolve the differences between the two entities. Mogadishu will be on the lookout to see if any other country will make a move to recognise the breakaway republic. It must be one of the most difficult moments for President Mohamud, who faces rebellion from the administrations of two other federal states of Puntland and Jubaland. Meanwhile, ballot tallying is still underway at the headquarters of Somalia's National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEBC), two weeks after the conclusion of the Christmas Day local council elections in Mogadishu. This marked the capital's first direct municipal vote in nearly sixty years. While residents of Mogadishu turned out in their thousands to cast their ballots and choose their municipal representatives, none of the 390 representatives expected to be elected has been unveiled yet. The historic exercise was carried out under tight security and close observation, with polling stations closing peacefully in the evening. According to the NIEBC Chairperson Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan, the counting process would begin immediately after the polling closed on that Christmas Day. He, however, did not give an indication when the results should be expected. Election officials stated that the tallying process will follow established procedures to ensure transparency and credibility, with results to be announced once verification is complete. While there has been no anxiety caused by the long delay in announcing the historic election results, the patience of the capital city's residents has been commended. In other countries across the continent, such a delay leads to street protests amid claims of rigging. None of the parties or candidates has protested at the delay nor talked about any monkey business by the electoral commission or the government. This is a commendable move by Mogadishu residents and by extension, the electoral body. The Mogadishu vote has been widely viewed as a milestone in Somalia's democratic transition, setting a precedent for future direct elections across the country, with the nation waiting for parliamentary elections expected in the month of May. Will the rest of the country embrace the universal suffrage voting system at the expense of the indirect voting which the country has used since 2004? Only time will tell.

Top Israeli Minister jets into Somaliland, rubberstamps deal

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