People gathered in several towns in the breakaway region of Somaliland on Sunday to celebrate its recognition by Israel -- a decision condemned by the Somali president as a “threat” to stability in the Horn of Africa.
Israel announced on Friday it was officially recognising Somaliland, a first for the self-proclaimed republic that in 1991 declared it had unilaterally separated from Somalia.
On Sunday, the leader of the Houthis warned that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be considered a “military target”.
Somaliland, which has for decades pushed for international recognition, enjoys a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden and has its own money, passport and army.
Thousands of people thronged a stadium in the capital Hargeisa, where many dressed in the green, white and red colours of Somaliland’s flag.
“Victory for Somaliland!” they chanted.
The flag was hoisted alongside that of Israel in a ceremony broadcast live by Somaliland television stations.
“Mass celebrations are taking place in Hargeisa and across cities of the Republic of Somaliland, as citizens proudly gather to commemorate the historic decision by the Government of Israel,” Somaliland’s foreign ministry said on X.
“We welcome every country that recognises our existence,” Jama Suleyman, a resident of Hargeisa, told AFP.
“For the people of Somalia, our neighbours should not be concerned about this victory; we know they are making noises, but there is nothing that will make Somaliland stop from aiming high,” he added.
Local authorities questioned by AFP said gatherings were also held in the central town of Burao, and in Gebiley in the east.
They came as Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud addressed an emergency parliamentary session, calling Israel’s decision as “tantamount to a blunt aggression against the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and the unity of the people of the Somali Republic”.
He added that “the violations of (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his attempts to divide the Federal Republic of Somalia is (a) threat to the security and stability of the world and the region”.
Later Sunday, chief Abdulmalik al-Houthi, leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, issued a warning to Israel.
“We consider any Israeli presence in Somaliland a military target for our armed forces, as it constitutes aggression against Somalia and Yemen, and a threat to the security of the region,” he said in a statement.
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland was “a hostile stance targeting Somalia and its African surroundings, as well as Yemen, the Red Sea, and the countries along both shores of the Red Sea”, he added.
Somaliland has been diplomatically isolated since its unilateral declaration of independence, even if it has generally experienced greater stability than Somalia, where Al-Shabaab Islamic militants periodically mount attacks in the capital Mogadishu.
Regional analysts believe that a rapprochement with Somaliland would provide Israel with better access to the Red Sea, enabling it to hit Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Israel repeatedly struck targets in Yemen after the Gaza war broke out in October 2023, in response to Houthi attacks on Israel that the rebels said were in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The Iran-backed Houthis have halted their attacks since a fragile truce began in Gaza in October.
In addition, press reports a few months ago said Somaliland was among a handful of African territories willing to host Palestinians expelled by Israel.
“Somalia will never accept the people of Palestine to be forcibly evicted from their rightful land to a faraway place, let it be Somalia or elsewhere,” Mohamud told parliament.
But at the Hargeisa rally, Khadar Hussein Abdi, minister of the presidency of Somaliland, sought to allay fears.
“The recognition and the arrival of Israel will not create violence, will not bring conflict and will never harm anyone,” he said.
Somaliland will collaborate with Israel on improving the economy, agricultural production and on water, he added.
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland was criticised by the African Union, Egypt, Turkey, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and the Saudi-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The European Union insisted Somalia’s sovereignty should be respected.
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