Somaliland president makes 'historic' visit to Israel

This handout photograph taken and released by the Somaliland Presidential Office on January 6, 2026 shows Somaliland's President Abdirahman Abdullahi Mohamed (R) posing for a photograph with Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar (L) at the Presidential Palace in Hargeisa. Israel's Foreign Minister arrived in Somaliland on January 6, 2026 in the first high-profile visit by an Israeli official since the country recognised the breakaway region in the Horn of Africa, the Somaliland presidency said. AFP - -

Somaliland's President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi met his Israeli counterpart on Sunday in Jerusalem in his first-ever state visit, which comes months after Israel officially recognised the breakaway African state.

In December, Israel became the first country to recognise the independence of Somaliland since it declared its autonomy from Somalia in 1991 following a civil war.