Republic of Somaliland

Why in News?

Israel became the first United Nations (UN) member state to officially recognise the Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state.

• Somaliland – It is also known as the Republic of Somaliland, is a self-declared republic in the Horn of Africa, which is internationally recognised as part of Somalia.
• Capital – Hargeisa (largest city).
• Location – Somaliland lies along the Gulf of Aden, a vital maritime trade route connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.
• Borders –
  • The Republic of Djibouti to the northwest,
  • Ethiopia to the south and west, and
  • The rest of Somalia (specifically the Puntland region) to the east, and
  • A significant coastline on the Gulf of Aden to the north.

• Background –
  • Somaliland gained independence from Britain on June 26, 1960.
  • Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in May 1991 following the Somali Civil War and has remained de facto independent ever since.
  • It has its own currency, passport, government, and military, but lacked international recognition until now.
• Timeline of Recognition
  • Taiwan - Becomes the first to recognise Somaliland in 2020,
  • Ethiopia – In 2024, it signed an MoU to explore formal recognition in exchange for naval base access.
  • Israel – In 2025, it becomes the first UN member state to officially recognise Somaliland as independent.
  • Several other countries – including the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, Denmark, and Kenya- have informal diplomatic relations with Somaliland.
• Somalia’s Position – Somalia insists Somaliland is an inseparable part of its territory and condemned Israel’s move as a “deliberate attack” on sovereignty.
• India’s Position – India has officially not recognised Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state.

References

1. Indian Express | Israel 1^st UN member to recognise Somaliland
2. The Mint | Israel recognizes Somaliland