Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud delivered a forceful condemnation of Israel's formal recognition of Somaliland during an emergency session of parliament on December 28, 2025, describing the decision as a grave threat to the security and stability of both the Horn of Africa region and the wider international community.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on December 26, 2025, that Israel had become the first country to officially recognize the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as a fully independent and sovereign state, a historic step that breaks with decades of international consensus supporting Somalia's territorial integrity since Somaliland's unilateral declaration of independence in 1991.

The mutual recognition was formalized through a joint declaration signed by Netanyahu, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, with Netanyahu explicitly linking the move to the spirit of the 2020 Abraham Accords brokered under the first Trump administration, while extending an invitation for Abdullahi to visit Jerusalem and pledging immediate bilateral cooperation in critical sectors including agriculture, healthcare, advanced technology, and economic development.

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Somalia's federal government issued an immediate and vehement rejection, characterizing Israel's action as an unlawful and deliberate assault on the country's sovereignty, unity, and internationally recognized borders, with Mogadishu vowing to mobilize all available diplomatic, political, and legal avenues under international law to reverse the recognition and defend its territorial claims.

The European Union joined in expressing concern over the development, reiterating its longstanding support for Somalia's unity and territorial integrity while urging all parties to prioritize meaningful dialogue between Mogadishu and Hargeisa to resolve their protracted differences through peaceful and inclusive negotiations, amid fears that the recognition could exacerbate regional tensions in an already volatile area.

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