Somaliland president prepares US visit as push for recognition intensifies

Somaliland’s president is preparing for a visit to Washington that could give Hargeisa a direct opportunity to argue its case for international recognition. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi is expected to travel to the United States in the coming days, in his first visit there since taking office.

The planned trip comes months after Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an independent state in December 2025. The move marked the territory’s first recognition by a UN member state, according to the report, and opened the way for faster ties between Israel and Somaliland.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has since operated as an autonomous entity with its own institutions and administration. Most of the international community, however, has not recognized it as an independent state.

Abdullahi visited Israel in June, where he met President Isaac Herzog and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. Somaliland has also opened an embassy in Jerusalem, further strengthening its relationship with Israel. The two sides have expressed an intention to cooperate in security, agriculture, water management, health and the economy.

US recognition remains uncertain. After Israel’s decision, President Donald Trump said he was not yet ready to take the same step and wanted to examine the issue first. The report also links international interest in Somaliland to its strategic location in the Horn of Africa, near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and key Red Sea shipping routes.