Somaliland President Plans First US Visit to Build on Israel's Recognition
Somaliland's President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi is expected to travel to the United States in the coming days for his first visit to the country since taking office, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan. The visit comes months after Israel became the first United Nations member state to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, giving new momentum to Hargeisa's decades-long campaign for wider international recognition.
Israeli journalist Roi Kais, reporting for Kan's Reshet Bet radio, said Abdullahi was expected to visit both Washington and New York, where he would hold meetings with members of the S. Congress and officials at the State Department. "The hope is that he will also meet President Trump," Kais quoted a source familiar with the planned visit as saying. However, no meeting with S. President Donald Trump has been officially confirmed, and neither Somaliland's presidency nor the White House has publicly announced the visit or released an itinerary.
The anticipated trip follows Abdullahi's visit to Israel approximately three months ago, which Israeli media described as historic, after Israel announced in December last year that it recognised Somaliland as an independent state. During that visit, Abdullahi held talks with senior Israeli officials on diplomatic relations and bilateral cooperation.
According to the Israeli report, Abdullahi's main objective will be to build on the diplomatic momentum created by Israel's recognition and persuade other countries, particularly the United States, to establish formal relations with Somaliland. The report said Israeli officials were aware of the planned visit and could assist Somaliland's diplomatic efforts.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has since maintained its own government, security forces, currency and democratic institutions. However, it has yet to secure widespread international recognition. The Israeli report noted that Washington has traditionally supported Somalia's territorial integrity, while Somaliland is seeking to build stronger diplomatic support for its recognition.
Somalia's federal government has repeatedly maintained that Somaliland remains part of the Federal Republic of Somalia. Successive Somali governments have stressed that the Somaliland issue can only be resolved through dialogue and a mutually agreed political process.
The efforts to secure S. recognition face political and regional challenges, as most countries in the region and international organisations support Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Several influential regional governments, including Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, also continue to back Somalia's position and oppose recognition of Somaliland, according to the Israeli report.