Trump denies US plans to recognize Somaliland region after Israel’s move

WASHINGTON – 27 December 2025: President Donald Trump said the United States has no plans to follow Israel in recognizing the self-declared breakaway region of Somaliland.

“No,” Trump replied as he was asked about US recognition of Somaliland in an interview with the New York Post.

“Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?”

Recognizing Somaliland

Israel on Friday became the first country to formally recognise self-declared Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, dismissing Somalia’s longstanding rejection of secession.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 following the collapse of the central government but has not been internationally recognised and is considered by Mogadishu and the international community as part of Somalia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, signed a joint declaration described by Netanyahu’s office as being concluded “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords.”

These are US-brokered agreements signed in 2020 to normalise diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab countries.

Broad Condemnation

Somalia has condemned Israel’s recognition of Somaliland and demanded that Israel reverse its move.

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud described the move as “illegal aggression” by Netanyahu, stressing that Somali people will remain "inseparable."

The African Union also expressed rejection of any initiative or action aimed at recognising Somaliland as an independent entity, stressing that the region remains an integral part of Somalia.

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland follows reports that it had approached the breakaway region about hosting Palestinians from Gaza as part of a US-Israeli plan earlier this year to resettle the territory’s population permanently.

Twenty-one countries, including Egypt, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a joint statement on Saturday condemning Israel’s recognition of Somaliland and warning against its “serious repercussions” on regional security.

The statement also affirmed “full rejection of [establishing] any potential link between such measures and attempts to forcibly expel the Palestinian people from their land, which is unequivocally rejected in any form as a matter of principle.”