After Israel became the first country to recognize Somaliland, a small territory in Somalia that claimed its independence in 1991 and has been riddled in war since, countries are pushing back against the decision, Politico reports.
Countries including Jordan, Qatar, and Algeria, along with the African Union, rejected Israel’s move after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed a joint declaration on Dec. 26 with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullah, citing it as “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords.”
Qatar called the declaration “a dangerous precedent and a unilateral action that violates the principles of international law.”
The African Union, a continental union of 55 African states, released a statement saying it “firmly rejects any initiative or action aimed at recognizing Somaliland as an independent entity” with failure to mention Israel by name.
Somaliland is located on Somalia’s Gulf of Aden coast, with Djibouti, home to the largest U.S. military base in Africa, next door. It is also located where the Bab el-Mandeb strait connects with the Red Sea, known as a strategic section of trade routes.
The United States caught wind of the recognition, with the State Department announcing it will continue to recognize the territorial integrity of Somalia, “which includes the territory of Somaliland.” President Donald Trump, who met with Netanyahu on Dec. 29 in Florida, said he would not follow in the footsteps of Israel’s recognition.
According to The Washington Post, the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting on Dec. 29 following Israel’s decision, citing that the move lists Israel as a potential outsider among the international community.
The European External Action Service, working with the European Union, took a slightly different stance, calling for “meaningful dialogue” between Somalia and Somaliland, and saying the recognition “reaffirms the importance of respecting the unity, the sovereignty and the territorial integrity” of Somalia.
The move comes at a time where Somalia is the topic of conversation, especially in the U.S. Trump has aggressively pushed back against Somalian refugees settling in the states, particularly in Minnesota. The state is home to hundreds of Somalian natives, including Rep. Illhan Omar, who has been under attack from the president, GOP lawmakers, and MAGA loyalists.
Omar opposed the Somaliland recognition and is being scrutinized for it by experts and analysts who feel the congresswoman’s views on Somalia could contradict her goals while in office.
“Ilhan Omar left Somalia, but Somalia never left her,” senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute Michael Rubin told Fox News Digital. “In her Somali-language speeches, she refers to Somalia as her home, not America and so it is clear she appears to seek to advance Somalia’s interests on the global stage.”
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