Tel Aviv (Somalia Today) — Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi is expected to make a historic visit to Israel in late March, sources said, cementing a controversial diplomatic breakthrough that has reshaped alliances in the turbulent Horn of Africa.
The visit would mark the first official trip by a Somaliland leader to the Jewish state since Israel formally recognized the breakaway territory in December, a move that ended Somaliland’s 34-year isolation but inflamed tensions with Somalia’s federal government.
Two sources familiar with the planning told Somalia Today that officials have tentatively scheduled the trip for the end of next month, confirming an earlier report by The Jerusalem Post.
Abdillahi, widely known as “Irro,” had previously travelled to Israel for discreet talks before the December 26 announcement, the newspaper reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly made the relationship a priority as part of a revived “periphery doctrine” — a strategy of cultivating allies on the edges of the Middle East to counter hostile regional powers.
After the recognition deal, Netanyahu pledged immediate cooperation in agriculture, technology and security, hailing Somaliland as a “strategic partner” in the Red Sea.
Strategic pivot
The growing alliance comes as Israel moves to secure its maritime interests against continued threats from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who control the coastline directly opposite Somaliland.
Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 after the central government collapsed into civil war, sits on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden, a critical chokepoint for global shipping.
“The logic for Israel is clear: Somaliland offers a friendly shoreline in a hostile sea,” said one regional analyst who requested anonymity.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar became the first senior official to visit Hargeisa in January, where he met Abdillahi to discuss intelligence sharing and the potential development of agricultural projects.
During the visit, Saar confirmed that Abdillahi had accepted an invitation to Jerusalem.
Minerals for recognition
For Hargeisa, the relationship offers a gateway to the wider international acceptance it has sought for decades.
Abdillahi’s government has aggressively leveraged the Israeli breakthrough to court other global powers, especially the United States.
Khadar Hussein Abdi, Somaliland’s minister of the presidency, said this week that the territory was prepared to offer Washington exclusive access to strategic mineral deposits, including lithium and coltan, as well as permission to establish military bases.
“We are willing to give exclusive [access to our minerals] to the United States,” Khadar said. “Also, we are open to offer military bases to the United States.”
He added that Hargeisa would not rule out an Israeli military presence, a statement likely to further antagonize Mogadishu.
Somaliland already hosts a DP World logistics hub at the port of Berbera, which has drawn significant investment from the United Arab Emirates.
Mogadishu fumes
The diplomatic flurry has drawn sharp condemnation from Somalia, which considers Somaliland part of its sovereign territory.
Mogadishu described Israel’s recognition as an “unlawful attack” on its territorial integrity and has cut contacts with actors it sees as encroaching on its sovereignty.
Somalia has also offered the United States access to its own strategic ports and airfields in a bid to outmaneuver Somaliland’s pitch to Washington.
Abdillahi, a veteran diplomat who won Somaliland’s presidency in the November 2024 election, has so far brushed off Mogadishu’s threats.
In a February 3 interview with Reuters, he said he was confident signing a broader “partnership agreement” with Israel soon, unlocking access to Israeli irrigation and surveillance technology.
While neither side has finalized trade or investment deals, Abdillahi said he expected business ties to “begin soon.”
If the March visit goes ahead, African Union states and Arab League members will watch it closely, as many have criticized Israel’s move as a destabilizing precedent for the continent’s borders.
