Israel deepens ties with Somaliland as ambassador highlights strategic and economic cooperation

Israel's first ambassador to Somaliland, Michael Lotem, hailed the rapidly developing relations between the two countries in an interview published on Friday. He said the impoverished African country is interested in Israeli know-how and technologies across multiple fields.

“They are looking to deepen cooperation in nearly every field – from energy and infrastructure to technology, education and communications – and their desire to work with Israel is stronger than ever,” Lotem said during an interview with Israeli news outlet N12.

“Security discussions are naturally part of the relationship, but our political dialogue extends far beyond that into many different areas,” he added.

Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi praised the relations with Israel and the expansion of the Abraham Accords to promote peace across Africa and the Middle East.

Last December, Israel became the first country to officially recognize the Republic of Somaliland, three decades after it declared its independence from Somalia in East Africa.

Last month, Lotem was appointed Israel’s first ambassador to Somaliland, initially in a non-resident capacity. He previously served as Israel’s envoy to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and Seychelles. Unlike Somalia and several other countries in the region, Somaliland has established relative political stability and security.

Israel’s decision to recognize Somaliland has been strongly criticized across the Arab and Muslim world. Some Arab and Muslim nations condemned the Jewish state last month after Lotem was appointed as Jerusalem’s ambassador to the African Muslim country.

“Sixteen Arab and Islamic nations strongly condemn Israel's announcement of appointing a diplomatic envoy to the so-called ‘Somaliland,’” the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an official statement in April, with Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Pakistan, Indonesia and Libya being among them.

The same 16 countries have unilaterally recognized the “State of Palestine” even though it does not meet the formal international requirements for statehood, including recognized borders and effective control over a specific territory. The European Union also criticized Israel’s recognition of Somaliland in December.

Lotem revealed that Israel has strengthened its relations with multiple countries across Africa in recent years.

“Over the past several years, Israel has invested significant diplomatic effort in strengthening its presence across Africa, an initiative that Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has strongly prioritized, and the results are already becoming visible very quickly,” the Israeli envoy explained.

While Somaliland is interested in Israeli technologies, the African country has its own natural resources, including oil, iron, gas, gold and coal.

“They are extremely interested in partnering with Israel across the entire minerals industry supply chain,” Lotem said.

Looking ahead, the Israeli ambassador said he hopes “more countries will come to recognize the strategic value and importance of this relationship.”

Israel reportedly views Somaliland’s geographic proximity to Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen as strategically significant. Unconfirmed reports have suggested that Israel may be interested in establishing a military presence in Somaliland, which could support potential future operations against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

“Somaliland’s significance lies in its geostrategic location and in its willingness – as a stable, moderate, and reliable state in a volatile region – to work closely with Western countries,” stated a report by the leading Israeli think tank, Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).

“Somaliland’s territory could serve as a forward base for multiple missions: intelligence monitoring of the Houthis and their armament efforts; logistical support for Yemen’s legitimate government in its war against them; and a platform for direct operations against the Houthis,” the INSS report added.